A blood substitute that looks like the real thing and carries oxygen just like it, but is safer and easier to store, has been successfully used in heart surgery patients, a company reported Tuesday.

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Baxter Healthcare Corp. said it hopes to get permission to market the blood substitute in Europe within a year and expects to apply for permission in this country in about a year.The company said its product, called HemAssist, may be the end of a quest for artificial blood that dates to the 17th century, when doctors unsuccessfully tried transfusions with animal blood, wine or even milk.

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