Biomimetic "biological" hemostatic agent

About 2 million people worldwide die each year from haemorrhage or blood
loss.
Uncontrolled haemorrhage accounts for more than
30% of traumatic deaths.
To stop the bleeding, doctors usually apply pressure to the wound and seal
it with medical glue.
But what happens if applying pressure is difficult, or might make things worse? Or is there too much blood on the surface of the wound and cannot be glued with glue?

Drawing inspiration from nature, researchers at McGill University have modeled the structures of marine animals such as mussels and flatworms to develop a medical adhesive
that can save lives.

"When applied to the bleeding site, this new adhesive uses suction to absorb blood, clear the attached surface, and bind to the tissue to provide a physical seal
.
The entire application process is fast and stress-free, which is suitable for cases of non-compressible bleeding, which is often life-threatening," said lead author Guangyu Bao, a recently graduated PhD student under the supervision of Professor Jianyu Li in the Department of Mechanical Engineering
.

While testing the new technology, the researchers found that the adhesive promotes blood clotting
.
This adhesive can also be removed without causing rebleeding or even left in the body to be absorbed
.
"Our materials demonstrate better safety and hemostatic efficiency
than other commercial products.
In addition to hemostasis, our material could one day replace wound sutures or deliver drugs to provide therapeutic results," said
senior author Professor Jianyu Li.