Blood Substitutes: Principles, Methods, Products and Clinical Trials, Vol. 1 and 2.

Loyola University Medical Center, 2160 South First Avenue, Maywood, IL 60153

Blood Substitutes: Principles, Methods, Products and Clinical Trials, Vol. 1 and 2. Thomas M.S. Chang. Basel, Switzerland and Farmington, CT: S. Karger Publishers, Inc. Vol. 1, 1997, 142 pp. $73.50. ISBN 3-8055-6584-4. Vol. 2, 1998, 236 pp. $73.50. ISBN 3-8055-6633-6.

The author of this two-volume set is a pioneer and a world-renowned expert in the field of blood substitutes. These volumes were written in an effort to provide newly introduced researchers in the field (graduate students, research fellows, and scientists) and nonspecialists with a reference that provides not only the background information and an overview on the major developments in the field but also descriptions of basic laboratory methods needed for blood substitute research. In addition, in compiling the second volume, Dr. Chang invited experts in their fields to provide descriptions and discussions about blood substitutes in Phase II and III clinical trials as well as discussions about future generations of blood substitutes.

The first volume includes discussions of blood substitutes; the need for new blood substitutes, the driving forces for their development, and their potential clinical applications; the functional properties and safety of these products; descriptions of the products currently being tested in clinical trials; perfluorochemical-based blood substitutes; and perspectives on the future generations of blood substitutes. The closing chapter discusses prioritizing of National Blood Supply Policies. This comprehensive volume concludes with an extensive reference section and a detailed and useful subject index. Basic laboratory methods for studying various aspects of blood substitutes (such as preparation, analysis, safety, efficacy, and animal studies) are also outlined in detail in the appropriate chapters.

The second volume balances the single-author general view approach of the first volume by including detailed viewpoints of several experts and developers. This volume consists of two sections. The first section contains discussions on products in Phase II and III clinical trials. The second section contains discussions on future generations of blood substitutes, their prospects, and approaches to existing problems with these products. This volume also concludes with a detailed and useful subject index.

Pertinent schematics and graphs are abundant in both volumes and are helpful aids in the understanding of the subject matter described and the points made and discussed. Dr. Chang and his numerous colleagues and contributors have been successful in condensing and centralizing basic information as well as the current developments in the area of blood substitutes in a user-friendly and manageable manner, which is quite a feat considering the highly interdisciplinary nature of the field of blood substitutes.

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