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Advantages And Disadvantages Of Perfluorocarbons

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Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are lab made chemical compounds that are linear and cyclic hydrocarbons who have a low molecular weight. Liquid Perfluorocarbons are formed when hydrogen ions in hydrocarbons have been replaced with fluorine atoms since they are neutral chemical compounds (Veni et al. 39). Perfluorocarbons are also chemically inert—not chemically reactive—due to the strength of the carbon-fluorine bonds (Anilkumar et al. 478). Perfluorocarbons are made into Perfluorocarbon artificial blood by adding water, salt and phospholipid surfactants to it, then the solution is then emulsified through high pressure homogenization—when two non-soluble liquids are turned into an emulsion—the solutions is then purified through a high temperature …show more content…

Perfluorocarbons have benefits, but they also have restrictions and drawbacks. Perfluorocarbons down sides is that they must be prepared as emulsions—a liquid state—because they cannot stay in an aqueous state for very long. Also to guarantee that tissues fully oxygenate the patients must breath at a linear rate—a very even and consistent rate—because PFCs are passive oxygen absorbers. PFCs can also cause a reduced platelet count in the blood, which can cause flu-like symptoms. Also an increased intake and/or continuous intake of PFCs may cause allergic reactions (Veni et al. 39). Further clinical trials with adjustments to PFCs are currently ongoing in an attempt to lessen the side effects (Fridey 4), in hope to eventually exit the boundaries of clinical trials. Transition sentence?
The other type of artificial blood is more of a blood substitute as it is derived from either outdated bovine or human red blood cells. It is known as Hemoglobin Based Oxygen Carriers (HBOC), Hemoglobin which is the oxygen carrying protein molecule found in red blood cells is extracted from the obsolete red blood cells through ultrafiltration and purification. The Hemoglobin must undergo specific processes in an attempt to prevent the Hemoglobin from disassociating from its natural four-chain configuration (Fridey 3). There is numerous methods of chemically altering the Hemoglobin to increase the molecules size so it does not dissociate and break down. The two main processes of enlarging the

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