At-Home Medical Testing Edible Vaccines 'Doing' Work and Time Fast Forward to the Present Two developments in the delivery and preservation of blood offer several new options to patients undergoing surgery. The practice of donating one's own blood and recycling it for transfusion during and after surgery is gaining popularity, particularly among individuals who worry about a risk of exposure to AIDS or hepatitis, or have religious objections to using another person's blood.
Advocates say the new technique is more cost-effective than traditional transfusions.
As the method to coat blood cells is further developed, the possibility arises that any blood type could be acceptable by all patients, erasing the wait for rare blood donations. The technique is inexpensive, easily done and safe. Theoretically, the technique could help prevent rejection of organ transplants. The trucking industry also is researching ways to alert sleepy drivers. One system uses a camera mounted outside the truck that uses road markings to detect whether the truck is weaving, and relays a computer signal to the driver.