To no one’s surprise, Public Citizen is outraged at the Polyheme trial controversy:
“This is completely unethical,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. “They withheld blood — the gold standard — for a product that has proven in previous clinical circumstances to raise the death rate.”
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Why was this product tested ONLY on unconscious trauma patients, who also, presumably, did not have a family member to give consent?
Why wasn’t the research done on conscious patients who could give fully informed consent? And then publish the results? Surely there are, occasionally, CONSCIOUS trauma patients, even?
It does sound like the manufacturers decided to use helpless, traumatized, unconscious patients as guinea pigs, with the full knowledge and approval of the FDA. There should be a Congressional investigation into this travesty.
I think every one of those guinea pigs should sue the britches off the doctors and the drug company, regardless of the outcomes of the product’s use on them.
My father received Polyheme after nearly cutting off his arm in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. My father who had no previous heart problems and my mother was told that day his heart was very strong and was one of the reasons he was still alive. My father is now dead! Is Polyheme the cause? I sure want to know! KB
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