First Artificial Blood Substitute: Perfluorochemical Emulsions Developed in 1970s USSR

The first artificial blood substitute was developed by Soviet scientists in the 1970s. Called perfluorochemical emulsion (PFC), it consists of carbon-fluorine compounds capable of dissolving and transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide similarly to hemoglobin. Unlike blood, PFCs are colorless (not red). While promising, early PFCs had limitations (short half-life, reticuloendothelial uptake, need for high FiO2). Modern oxygen therapeutics continue to evolve from this foundation.