Are intravenous treatments safe?
German scientists have identified a serious and previously misunderstood contaminant that brings the safety and efficacy of intravenous treatments into question. In a report published in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (http://www.jleukbio.org), they show how a common intravenous treatment used to boost blood pressure in ailing patients also contains substances called “advanced glycation end products,” which trigger inflammation. These substances result from reactions that occur among the various proteins (called “posttranslational modification”) within the intravenous fluid after it has been formulated for use. This study directly challenges today’s prevalent belief that advanced glycation end products are not contaminants. “Improving the quality of infusion solutions by accounting for posttranslational modification of proteins could lead to better clinical outcomes for patients, such as those treated solutions containing albumin,” said Angelika Bierhaus,
