Easy-to-Use Hemostatic Dressings with Rapid Hemorrhage Control, Infection Prevention, and Wound Healing Capabilities

Uncontrolled hemorrhage is the primary cause of trauma-related death, and approximately half of hemorrhage deaths occur before the patient reaches the hospital. Of patients that survive, almost half develop polymicrobial infections in their wounds within 5 days of injury. Infection treatments are increasingly limited by the rise in drug-resistant bacteria. Current techniques for hemorrhage control are insufficient for a large number of wounds, do not address noncompressible hemorrhages, and do not prevent infections or drive healing processes.

An improved antimicrobial hemostatic dressing could reduce tragic deaths from uncontrolled bleeding and subsequent infection. 

Our Research 

We developed ‘smart’ shape memory polymer-based hemostatic foam dressings that can be easily applied to bleeding wounds in a low-profile shape, after which they expand to fill the wound bed. We modified these foams with natural antimicrobials to prevent infection, antioxidants to reduce wound inflammation, bioactive agents to drive tissue infiltration, and degradable linkages to eliminate the need for dressing removal.