Acute Blood Replacement in Resource Limited Settings

In sub - Saharan Africa malaria is the most important parasitic disease. Accordingly, malaria induced anemia is one of the main public health burden and blood transfusion is often necessary. However, blood supplies are not able to meet the demand and this leads to high maternal and child mortality rates. As well, a worrisome amount of life threatening infections are brought by contaminated blood donations. This study combined intravenous vitamin B - complex with ferrous dextrane to increase hemoglobin levels and provide clinical improvement in patients with moderate to severe anemia. The treatment proved to be effective and safe, as no serious side effects were found in patients treated. The findings show that this treatment should be considered a ready to use blood replacement option in primary healthcare settings and hard to reach areas, especially in sub Saharan Africa where infrastructural, socio-economic challenges and limited blood supply, render the standard blood transfusion a scarcely available option. Lastly, this book provides a comprehensive nutritional picture on food chain deficiencies and an insight on the state of clinical research in developing countries.