American College of Sports Medicine position stand on blood doping as an ergogenic aid.

  • 1 October 1987
    • journal article
    • review article
    • Vol. 19  (5) , 540-3
Abstract
Blood doping is an ergogenic procedure wherein normovolemic erythrocythemia is induced via autologous (i.e., re-infusion of athlete's own blood) or homologous (i.e., transfusion of type matched donor's blood) red blood cell (RBC) infusion (11, 27, 28, 34). The resultant hemoconcentration increases arterial oxygen concentration (Ca)2) (9, 23). During peak exercise, oxygen delivery [cardiac output (Q)xCaO2] to skeletal muscle is enhanced, improving maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and endurance capacity (9, 28, 29, 31). Such terms as blood boosting, blood packing, and induced erythrocythemia are also variously used to describe this ergogenic procedure (11, 34). It is the position of the American College of Sports Medicine that the use of blood doping as an ergogenic aid for athletic competition is unethical and unjustifiable, but that autologous RBC infusion is an acceptable procedure to induce erythrocythemia in clinically controlled conditions for the purpose of legitimate scientific inquiry.

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