David Hart
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<P>Thanks Mike for letting me know the least dangerous way to dope.</P>
<P>It will come in handy next year, thanks!!!<BR><BR></P></DIV><BR><BR><BR>David Hart
<DIV></DIV>North River Racing
<DIV></DIV>Vancouver, Washington
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<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>----Original Message Follows----
<DIV></DIV>From: Mike Murray <mike.m-@obra.org>
<DIV></DIV>Reply-To: mike.m-@obra.org
<DIV></DIV>To: ob-@topica.com
<DIV></DIV>Subject: RE: [OBRA Chat] homologous vs. autologous
<DIV></DIV>Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2004 13:33:38 -0700
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Phil Bentley [mailto:pben-@rsblaw.net] wrote:
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>"My limited understanding is that "blood doping" was typically done with
<DIV></DIV>your own blood? Taken out, stored and then reinjected before competition.
<DIV></DIV>That would be auto. Tyler tested positive for homo, i.e., blood was from
<DIV></DIV>someone else. This would suggest that the transfusion was related to
<DIV></DIV>surgery rather than doping."
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Wrong. For the purposes of blood doping red cells are red cells. Doesn't
<DIV></DIV>matter where they come from they will still carry oxygen. The least
<DIV></DIV>dangerous way to blood dope would be to use autologous blood, i.e. have your
<DIV></DIV>own blood drawn well in advance of the specific event you are cheating for
<DIV></DIV>and then give it back before the event so that the hematocrit (percentage of
<DIV></DIV>blood volume occupied by red cells) is increased. This has to be done with
<DIV></DIV>enough time to allow the body to produce red cells to replace the ones taken
<DIV></DIV>out. Red cells have a limited shelf life so timing and storage are critical
<DIV></DIV>items. Ideally the plasma is spun off so that only red cells are given
<DIV></DIV>back.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>For a pro bike racer all this creates problems for a pro bike racer. It
<DIV></DIV>only really works for someone planning to cheat for a specific, and fairly
<DIV></DIV>short, period of time. They will be slower just after the blood is taken
<DIV></DIV>out, since their hematocrit will be lower. Given this it appears that some
<DIV></DIV>athletes are willing to use homologous blood, despite the risks of
<DIV></DIV>transfusion reactions and transmission of disease. For homologous blood you
<DIV></DIV>can cheat any time and you don't have to have a period of lower performance
<DIV></DIV>waiting for you body to produce red cells. When the benefit of the
<DIV></DIV>transfused blood begins to go away you can just take more blood (as well as
<DIV></DIV>risk).
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>For the record, the US Olympic cycling team (which was the group to bring
<DIV></DIV>this practice to light in 1984, although likely not the first to actually
<DIV></DIV>use it, as is often mis-stated) used only homologous blood. Transfusions
<DIV></DIV>were done in a hotel room. There were no records kept of cross matching of
<DIV></DIV>the blood being done. Whole blood, rather than packed red cells were used.
<DIV></DIV>It is my impression that they basically took the blood out of one individual
<DIV></DIV>and then put it directly in another, rather like a procedure from the
<DIV></DIV>medical dark ages. Makes one wonder what they were thinking, if anything.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Currently in regular medical practice it is more common to use autologous
<DIV></DIV>blood for elective surgical procedures which are likely to require blood.
<DIV></DIV>This has become more common primarily because of the AIDS epidemic and the
<DIV></DIV>recognition of the considerable risk of transfusion. On the other hand, few
<DIV></DIV>surgical procedures actually require blood. Most blood use is not elective.
<DIV></DIV>Most medical blood use is homologous.
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Mike Murray
<DIV></DIV>
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