As the Red Cross Declares Its Second-Ever National Blood Crisis, a New Edition Maps the Path Beyond Donated Blood
On 27 July 2026, the American Red Cross declared only the second national blood supply crisis in its history — the first was in January 2022. The national supply of type O positive blood, which accounts for roughly 60% of Red Cross hospital distributions, fell below a single day's reserve after a four-year summer low in donations driven by extreme heat, poor air quality, and widespread illness. Hospitals are already seeing distributions limited. It is exactly the kind of structural fragility that has pushed artificial oxygen carriers and next-generation blood products from a research curiosity to an active area of clinical investment.
Published days before that declaration, the second edition of Blood Substitutes and Oxygen Biotherapeutics (Henry Liu, Alan D. Kaye, and Jonathan S. Jahr, eds., Springer Cham, July 2026) could not be more timely. Across 48 chapters, it consolidates a decade of advances in hemoglobin-based and perfluorocarbon-based oxygen carriers, engineered proteins, vesicles, and nanotechnology-based alternatives, alongside a substantially expanded section on lyophilized plasma and freeze-dried or cryopreserved platelet technologies — the parts of transfusion medicine most exposed when donor supply drops this fast.
Three concrete uses for this edition: anesthesiology and trauma teams can consult the oxygen-carrier chapters when assessing emerging HBOC and PFC-based options for scenarios where typed blood is delayed or unavailable; hematology and blood bank services can use the plasma/platelet hemostasis chapters to evaluate lyophilized and cryopreserved product pipelines as supply buffers; and critical care and obstetric programs can draw on the trauma and postpartum hemorrhage material directly relevant to cases like the one the Red Cross itself has publicized this year.
For academic medical libraries, this is a single, current reference replacing what would otherwise mean tracking dozens of separate primary sources across biochemistry, regulatory science, and clinical practice — a natural fit for collections supporting anesthesiology, surgery, hematology, and transfusion medicine training programs.
CLNZ Books ships this title worldwide, with pricing that always includes delivery and invoicing available for institutional orders.
Q&A
Why is there renewed interest in blood substitutes in 2026?
The American Red Cross declared a national blood supply crisis on 27 July 2026, its second ever, after type O positive reserves fell below a one-day supply — intensifying research and clinical interest in artificial oxygen carriers and blood product alternatives.
What does the second edition add over the first?
Newer engineered proteins, vesicles, and nanotechnology-based oxygen carriers, plus a much larger section on plasma and platelet hemostasis technologies such as lyophilized plasma and cryopreserved platelets.
Who is this book written for?
Anesthesiologists, surgeons, hematologists, trauma and critical care physicians, transfusion medicine specialists, and the academic medical libraries that support them.
Does it cover clinical applications or only laboratory science?
Both. It integrates foundational biochemistry with translational research, regulatory considerations, and real-world applications across trauma, obstetrics, cardiology, pediatrics, critical care, and military medicine.
Where can I buy Blood Substitutes and Oxygen Biotherapeutics?
Directly from CLNZ Books, with worldwide shipping included and institutional invoicing available on request.