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Action on human albumin not swift enough

Caroline White, London

The Department of Health has dragged its feet over the findings of the Cochrane Injuries Group on human albumin, and it is not providing sufficient interim advice to doctors, according to the principal author of the group's report, Ian Roberts.

Human albumin is used in the emergency treatment of shock, acute management of burns, and clinical situations associated with hypoprotein-aemia. A systematic review showed that albumin administration results in six extra deaths for every 100 patients treated (25 July, pp 235-40).

Dr Roberts claims that he alerted the department to the findings in the first week of April. An emergency meeting of the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) was convened on 23 July, just a day before publication of the review.

In response to concerns raised by Simon Hughes MP on 28 July in the House of Commons, health secretary Frank . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Human albumin administration in critically ill patients: systematic review of randomised controlled trials • Why albumin may not work

Cochrane Injuries Group Albumin Reviewers and Cochrane Injuries Group Albumin Reviewers
BMJ 1998 317: 235-240. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Finfer, S., Bellomo, R., Myburgh, J., Norton, R. (2003). Efficacy of albumin in critically ill patients. BMJ 326: 559-560 [Full text]