Powdered Blood For A.I.F.

Northern Advocate, 14 July 1941, Page 8

Powdered Blood For A.I.F.

SYDNEY, June 14. Powdered human blood (plasma) will be made in Sydney soon for giving blood transfusions to wounded members of the A.I.F. in the Middle East. The Red Cross Society’s blood transfusion service will be used to supply blood, which will be dehydrated by a process recently perfected in England, and then offered to the Army. The society intends to powder about 100 pints of human blood a day. A reserve will also be built up in Australia for use in the event of a national emergency.

Although experiments on a small scale have been conducted in Melbourne, this will be the first time' that any attempt has been made to powder blood on an extensive scale in Australia. The scheme may later be extended to all States. Plasma can be used for blood transfusions instead of whole blood. Plasma is the white opalescent liquid left after the red corpuscles are taken out of the blood. In the ordinary blood transfusion process, the blood is stored whole. Although the Red Cross Society has 6200 donors registered—each gives one pint of blood at a transfusion —only 76 have been used so far in Sydney. Inauguration of the blooddrying process will mean that between ICO and 120 donors will be required a day.

Red Cross Held Up

Until the new system comes into operation the Red Cross Society cannot use hs donors for giving blood transfusions to members of the. Australian Imperial Forces on the other side of the world, or for reserve purposes, as whole blood is easily spoiled and rendered useless. Even under the best conditions, it does not keep for more

than three weeks. But plasma will keep indefinitely. Moreover, plasma in powdered form occupies much less space than whole blood. ; Recent research shows that while the I red blood cells are necessary for life, j the plasma plays an equally important part in maintaining the volume of circulating blood and in keeping up the supply of essential salts to the tissues. The plasma can be dried by the process of freezing in a vacuum, which is in itself a modern miracle. When dried, it becomes a yellow powder which retains all the properties of fresh plasma. It needs only the addition of boiled water to restore it to its former condition and to be ready for use.

Bottled plasma powder can be sent anywhere and will keep for years. A

doctor in the Middle East can carry in his pocket a bottle cf plasma, originally given in Sydney, sufficient to save several lives. It has been estimated that 20 per cent of the casualties in an air-raid require blood transfusion. Powdered plasma made in Sydney may, when the Red Cross scheme is in operation early next month, be the means of saving hundreds of lives, not only on the Middle East war front, but in the bombed cities of England.