About one out of every two deaths on the battlefield is due to blood loss from wounds (1). Until this point in time, all field medics had to stop hemorrhaging in a wounded soldier were gauzes and tourniquets. However, these two methods could not address all injuries that soldiers sustained. For instance, a wound in the pelvis or armpit is near impossible to place a tourniquet around, and applying pressure with gauze is incredibly difficult.
This is where the XStat injectable wound-plugging sponge comes into play. Developed in response to requests from field medics during the Iraq War, the XStat is, in simplest terms, a large syringe filled with small compressed sponges. The sponges are made from cellulose and are coated with coagulant along with a radiopaque marker, which allows the sponges to be detected by X-ray if left in the body.
The XStat is simple to use, the syringe is slid into the cavity left by the wound and the sponges are released inside. Upon contact with blood, the sponges expand, soaking up to 300 mL of blood while also placing pressure from inside the wound. The whole process stops bleeding in under twenty seconds, compared to three to five minutes from traditional methods (2).
The United States Military is hoping to drastically reduce the number of deaths from blood loss with this invention. Fortunately, in December of 2015 the XStat was approved for use by the FDA and it was just recently successfully tested in the field (3). The XStat could also make its way into civilian markets later this year as paramedics and first responders are interested in carrying the product.
(1) Smith, O. (2016). Amazing wound-plugging syringe saves first life by using tiny sponges to stop bleeding. Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/676107/XSTAT-injection-seals-wound-seconds-save-thousands-gunshot-victims-soldiers
(2) This innovative, wound-filling sponge just saved its first soldier. (2016, May 31). Retrieved June 03, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/this-innovative-wound-filling-sponge-just-saved-its-first-soldier/
(3) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved June 06, 2016, from http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm475810.htm
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