PolyHeme is an artificial blood produced by Northfield Laboratories Inc. that is made from hemoglobin. The hemoglobin is extracted from red blood cells and filtered to remove impurities. Toxicities are removed through a series of chemical treatments to make it compatible with all blood types and avoid problems associated with earlier experiments using artificial blood, such as liver and kidney failure.
PolyHeme can be stored oxygenated, versus donated whole blood which does not retain oxygen. This makes PolyHeme advantageous in emergency situations. It does not have most attributes of whole blood, such as the ability to coagulate.
This new artificial blood is availble as a result of an FDA special category created in 1996 that allows its use without patient consent in special circumstances. PolyHeme is the 15th such experiment allowed by the FDA.