Stable hemoglobin based composition and method to store same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stable hemoglobin based composition having sufficiently low levels of methemoglobin to effectively function as an oxygen carrying solution upon administration to a patient made by the process comprising: a) adding an oxygenated or deoxygenated form of said blood substitute to an oxygen impermeable package, and b) storing said container at from between 5.degree. C. to 45.degree. C. for sufficient time to permit the autoreduction of methemoglobin. The stable hemoglobin based composition includes hemoglobin, modified hemoglobin and/or encapsulated hemoglobin. To effectively function as an oxygen carrying solution upon administration to a patient, the stable hemoglobin based solution cannot have greater than about 50% of said hemoglobin based solution in the methemoglobin form but, preferably no more than about 15%. The invention further relates to a method to store a stable oxygen carrying solution according to the above discussed process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.