Thus far, there are no available oxygen-carrying blood substitutes, which is the typical objective of a blood (RBC) transfusion; however, there are widely available non-blood volume expanders for cases where only volume restoration is required. These are helping doctors and surgeons avoid the risks of disease transmission and immune suppression, address the chronic blood donor shortage, and address the concerns of Jehovahs Witnesses and others who have religious objections to receiving transfused blood. The research in this area is ongoing. A number of blood substitutes have been explored, but thus far they all have serious limitations. Most attempts to find a suitable alternative to blood thus far have concentrated on cell-free hemoglobin solutions. Blood substitutes could make transfusions more readily available in emergency medicine and in pre-hospital EMS care. If successful, such a blood substitute could save many lives, particularly in trauma where massive blood loss results. Hemopure, a hemoglobin-based therapy, is approved for use in South Africa. Other uses
Minor blood transfusions are used by a minority of nyaope drug addicts in South Africa to economically share the high the drug induces in a practice colloquially known as Bluetoothing, named after the wireless technology of the same name. Veterinary use
Veterinarians also administer transfusions to other animals. Various species require different levels of testing to ensure a compatible match. For example, cats have 3 known blood types, cattle have 11, dogs have 13, pigs have 16, and horses have 34.
A tufted angioma (also known as an "Acquired tufted angioma," "Angioblastoma," "Angioblastoma of Nakagawa," "Hypertrophic hemangioma," "Progressive capillary hemangioma," and "Tufted hemangioma") usually develops in infancy or early childhood on the neck and upper trunk, and is an ill-defined, dull red macule with a mottled appearance, varying from 2 to 5 cm in diameter. : 596

See also
List of cutaneous conditions
Skin lesion

References


== External links ==