Vanderbilt Television News Archive

(Studio: Shepard Smith) Report introduced.

(Chicago: Steve Brown) The controversy over the FDA’s decision to allow hospitals to test a blood substitute without the consent of patients featured; details given about PolyHeme, a blood substitute made from a mixture of saltwater and the blood component hemoglobin that can be used on any blood type, PolyHeme’s testing on trauma patients who normally have lost a lot of blood, are likely unconscious, and usually cannot give consent for doctors to use Polyheme instead of blood. [Northfield Laboratories’ Dr. Steven GOULD†- describes PolyHeme.] [Loyola University’s Dr. Mark CICHON†- says PolyHeme needs to be tested on patients who are in severe shock and patients are treated as if they gave an implied type of consent.] [Human Research Protection’s Vera SHARAV†- says medical experiments should never be done on human beings without their voluntary informed consent.] [Two PEOPLE - comment.]