A sticky substance close to what barnacles use to cling to rocks may offer better outcomes for traumatic injuries. The stick substance designed by MIT engineers features strong, biocompatible glue that can pack injured tissues and stop bleeding.
Characteristically, the new paste can stick on surfaces even if they are covered with blood and can form a tight seal in a span of 15 seconds of application. A glue of this type could provide a higher significant method for the treatment of traumatic injuries to help control bleeding for surgical procedures.
Meanwhile, to solve adhesion problem in a challenging environment such as dynamic environment of human tissues is the objective. Simultaneously, translation of the basic knowledge into real products that can save lives is the endeavor.
The findings of the study is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Clinically, to find ways to stop bleeding is a longstanding problem that has not been adequately addressed. Meanwhile, sutures are commonly used to seal injury sites, however, stitching the site of injury is time-consuming. This usually isn’t possible for first responders of treatment to be performed during an emergency situation.
For military personnel, blood loss is the leading cause of death following a traumatic injury. And, it is the second leading cause of death following a traumatic injury among the general population.
In fact, in recent years, some substances called hemostatic agents that can halt bleeding have been commercially available. Some of these contain patches with clotting factors, which helps to clot on its own. This, however, requires several minutes for the sealing and doesn’t always works on wounds with heavy bleeding.