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Daxor Announces International Publication of Clinical Study Involving Critically Ill Surgical Patients and Avoidance of Blood Transfusion Errors

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 July 2008, 09:01 CDT

Daxor Corporation (AMEX: DXR), a medical instrumentation and biotechnology company, today announced the June, 2008 publication of a clinical study in the Journal of Anesthesia and Analgesia titled, "Peripheral Blood Hematocrit in Critically Ill Surgical Patients: An Imprecise Surrogate of True Red Blood Cell Volume." The article reviews how transfusion errors may be avoided by including a blood volume measurement in critically ill surgical patients.

In this study involving 40 intensive care unit patients, red blood cell (RBC) volume was estimated by the conventional laboratory hematocrit measurement. Patients also underwent a direct blood volume measurement utilizing Daxor's Blood Volume Analyzer BVA-100. The resulting data from the BVA-100 demonstrated errors in the hematocrit measurement which significantly underestimated or overestimated the degree of a patient's RBC volume. These errors are particularly significant as the current approach to whether a patient does or does not receive a transfusion is largely guided by the hematocrit.

Clinicians in this study, conducted by the Division of Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, University of Hawaii and The Queen's Medical Center of Honolulu, Hawaii, also included other commonly used variables and invasive hemodynamic data. Even with the inclusion of this additional data the patient's true RBC status was not recognized.

Given the shortages and approximate $200 cost of a RBC unit, and the fact that over $1.5 billion is spent annually on transfusions especially on complex critically ill surgical patients, management of which patient truly requires a transfusion is both a resource allocation and a vital clinical decision. A measured blood volume may well avoid treatment errors by inaccurate surrogate methods like the hematocrit.

Anesthesiology and Analgesia, a monthly international scientific journal for anesthesiology and critical care medicine physicians, also featured an editorial by Dr. Robert Hahn from the Clinical Research Center of Soedertaelje, Sweden. Dr. Hahn commented in his editorial that, "Despite all controversies, the return of blood volume as a clinical parameter in the ICU would be most welcome." Dr. Hahn also highlighted the BVA-100's ability to provide capillary leak measurements, which he noted, "....may occasionally be even more interesting than the blood volume."

Daxor Corporation manufactures and markets the BVA-100, the only FDA-approved semi-automated Blood Volume Analyzer. The BVA-100 is used in conjunction with Volumex, Daxor's single use diagnostic kit. For more information regarding Daxor Corporation's Blood Volume Analyzer BVA-100, visit Daxor's website www.Daxor.com.

 Contact Information:  Stephen Feldschuh Chief Operating Officer 212-330-8515 Email Contact or Diane Meegan Investor Relations 212-330-8512 Email Contact

SOURCE: Daxor Corp.

Source: MARKET WIRE

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