EVANSTON, Ill., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Northfield Laboratories
Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLD) announced that results of a preliminary study in which
PolyHeme(TM), an oxygen-carrying blood substitute being developed by the
company, was compared to blood in critically injured trauma patients, were
presented today at the 62nd annual meeting of the American Association for the
Surgery of Trauma in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Jeffrey L. Johnson, M.D.,
Assistant Professor of Surgery and Director of the Surgical Intensive Care
Unit at Denver Health Medical Center, presented the paper.
The study addressed an important issue in the early care of the trauma
patient. Transfusion of blood in the early post-injury period has been
identified as an independent risk factor for the development of a severe
inflammatory response that can lead to multiple organ failure and subsequent
mortality. The Denver study found that patients resuscitated with PolyHeme
experienced a reduced inflammatory response compared with those who received
blood.
"Our study suggests that PolyHeme used in the early post-injury period may
provide an important clinical benefit in these severely injured trauma
patients," commented Dr. Johnson. "As such, the use of PolyHeme early in
resuscitation could have a significant impact on patient survival," he added.
Denver Health Medical Center has been the principal site for the
evaluation of PolyHeme in the treatment of trauma patients. Ernest E. Moore,
M.D., the principal investigator in Denver, will deliver the Scudder Oration
on Trauma at the American College of Surgery meeting in San Francisco on
October 8, 2002. The Scudder Oration honors a distinguished surgeon who has
dedicated his career to the care of the injured patient. In his presentation
"Blood Substitutes - The Future is Now," Dr. Moore will review his experience
with PolyHeme in both basic scientific and clinical research.
Visit the Northfield website at: http://www.northfieldlabs.com .
SOURCE Northfield Laboratories Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.northfieldlabs.com
CONTACT:
Steven A. Gould, M.D., Chief Executive
Officer, or Investors, Sophia Twaddell, both of Northfield
Laboratories, +1-847-864-3500, or Media, Cindy Martin of FRB
Weber Shandwick, +1-312-640-6741
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