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Hemostats have been used for over a hundred years to prevent bleeding in the surgical situation. Primarily these products were first introduced to prevent hematomas during surgery with the aim of preventing resultant infections. During the 1980s and 1990s, the popularity of hemostats increased rapidly as surgeons tried to avoid excessive use of blood transfusions for reasons of economy and the threat of disease transmission. Products were launched during this period by many of the large medical device manufacturers, such as Johnson & Johnson, which now sells Surgicel (an oxidized regenerated cellulose hemostat), Instat (a freeze-dried collagen product), and Spongostan/Surgifoam (a freeze-dried gelatin hemostat). For stopping bleeding, modern hemostats go far beyond simple gauze.
Almost all hemostatic agents work in conjunction with or in addition to the body’s own blood clotting activity. These agents generally work by physically obstructing the outflow of blood in the wound, accelerating clotting reactions, and providing a matrix for increased platelet interactions, resulting in faster and stronger fibrin clot formation that can bind to and seal vascular injuries. However, the effective hemostatic action of these products depends heavily on the patient having a capable and intact coagulation function. This may not be the case if the patient has received, for example, a synthetic colloid fluid in the field to prevent shock, which results in hemodilution, or if the patient is hypothermic or in hypovolemic shock. If there is pre-existing coagulation deficiency, then many of these hemostats will not work. There is a need for a hemostatic agent that can function effectively in the absence of the patient’s coagulation function. One of the products that function well in these situations is the fibrinogen-based dressing.
Fibrin sealants can also act as hemostatic agents, so there is in effect some overlap between the ‘Fibrin and Other Sealants’ and the ‘Hemostats’ categories. However, at upwards of $600 per use, fibrin sealants are rather too expensive to use as hemostats. There are over 40 active companies market and/or developing hemostat products and many of them have multiple types of hemostats based on the constituent active ingredients. Below is illustrated the number of active hemostat companies based on the product types they are pursuing or selling.
Source: MedMarket Diligence, LLC, Report #S190.
Fibrin sealants represented a revolution in local hemostatic measures for both bleeding and nonbleeding disorders. Tourniquet, pressure and sutures have been used for controlling excessive bleeding during surgical procedures for hundreds of years. Fibrin sealant has the potential to provide life-saving control of excessive bleeding in many critical surgical operations and during a number of elective procedures. It is used for local hemostasis and as an augmenting material during arterial bleeding. It has been applied to every organ except eyeballs. It has been shown to be very useful for local hemostasis, a valuable tool for adhesion, sealing, anastomosis, vascular and nerve grafts, and many other procedures.