THE USE OF HEPARIN IN BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS

Abstract

Heparin as a natural anticoagulant has frequently been suggested for use in blood transfusions, but the difficulty in obtaining a pure and potent product free from toxic effects, as well as the high cost of production, has been a hindrance to its trial and use. Mason¹in 1924 reported some experiments on thirty-three human subjects relative to the use of heparin in blood transfusions, but his product was too toxic for routine clinical purposes. Howell²in 1928 obtained a purified heparin which was tried out in transfusions on ten patients, apparently with good results, though subsequent reports of its use are wanting. In 1933 Schmitz and Fischer³in Copenhagen and Charles and Scott⁴in Toronto obtained heparin in a pure state. Jorpes⁵showed that this pure heparin is a mucoitin polysulfuric ester. It is now being produced commercially and stable, potent preparations, apparently nontoxic, are