The older of the two procedures which is called blood doping is one in which the athelete's own blood is removed some one or two months before an atheletic event and placed in cold storage. These cells are then infused one to seven days before the atheletic event. If the procedure is done correctly this certainly increases the aerobic capacity of the athelete as is shown in the Table 23-4 below. The time course of the procedure is shown in Fig. Table 23-4 Physiologic, Performance and Hematological Characteristics prior to and 24 hours after the reinfusion of 750ml of packed Red Blood cells.
Difference is statistically significant.
Time course of hematology changes after the removal and reinfusion of 900 ml of freeze-preserved blood. As shown in the figure above the hemoglobin concentration remains maximally elevated for at least two weeks after infusion and remains high for two to three months. Countless experiments have shown that the increase in hemoglobin concentration results in an increse in VO 2 max. Although the procedure of blood doping is illegal it is also quite cumbersome. A more recent procedure which is also illegal is one that is called hormonal blood boosting.