Innovative Mineral Product Stops High-Pressure Arterial Bleeding

Sunday, February 01 2009

Military officials have estimated that 20% of the deaths suffered in current battle theaters could be prevented with an effective means to stop high-pressure bleeds. To save lives, hemorrhaging must be stopped within seconds, and hemostasis must be maintained for as long as possible. The irregular shape and severe depth of ballistic wounds can make the use of conventional hemostatic agents, including bandages, ineffective. Wound location can make the use of tourniquets and application of pressure impossible. And the high force of arterial bleeding overcomes standard gauze.

For over a decade, the Army has been researching better ways to treat hemorrhaging. A substance created in Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Medical Center’s Reanimation Engineering Shock Center (VCURES) could be the answer. WoundStat™ is a sandy, tan-colored mineral that looks like a combination of flour, sand, and cat litter. It is poured into a hemorrhaging wound. Pressure is applied, and the material forms a seal that stops rapid blood loss. After use, it can be peeled off the injury.

WoundStat is being marketed by Trauma - Cure, a Bethesda, MD-based company formed in 2006. It was born from the discovery of a groundbreaking solution for high-pressure arterial bleeding, particularly in wounds where using a tourniquet is not an option. The technology behind WoundStat emerged from three years of research at VCURES led by Dr. Kevin Ward, Dr. Robert F. Diegelmann, and Dr. Gary L. Bowlin. With the help of VCU’s Office of Technology Transfer, the men were introduced to bioscience expert Jack McDonnell, who licensed the technology and established TraumaCure, for which he is chairman and executive vice president.

How it Works

When the Army was looking for wound-care solutions, it specified that the product must meet seven standards:

1. Stop large-vessel arterial bleeding within 3 minutes, even through a pool of blood, and achieve this goal in 2 minutes.
2. Be ready to use – no mixing or special preparation.
3. Be simple to apply by the wounded individual, another soldier, or a medic/EMT with minimal training.
4. Must be lightweight and durable.
5. Must be stable and functional at room temperature for at least 2 years, and in extreme ambient temperatures for several weeks.
6. Must be safe to use, posing no risk of either injury to the tissue or of transmitting human bloodborne pathogens.
7. Must be affordable.

WoundStat was proven to meet all of those needs. WoundStat works by, first, absorbing the blood into the granules of the product. Second, immediate, simultaneous packing of WoundStat into the wound forms a sticky seal or cast over the bleeding vessels. The cast allows topical pressure applied to the wound to be transmitted across the entire wound surface, thus enhancing the value of pressure in achieving and maintaining hemostasis. Finally, the negative charge of the material accelerates the natural clotting process at the bleeding sites, further enhancing the ability to rapidly obtain long-lasting hemostasis.