Innovations in Haemostatic Dressings through the Years

It is a fact that despite the numerous advances in the field of medicine and emergency care, research shows that haemorrhagic shock is still the second largest cause for death in cases of civilian trauma, internationally. It is also the main cause of death on the battlefield worldwide. Over the years of medical technology development, haemostatic dressings have been employed in emergency care and pre-hospital treatment to stop severe bleeding. Here is a look at how haemostatic agents have evolved, and their current relevance in reducing mortality rates.

Kinds of Haemostatic Agents/Dressings
One category of haemostats are factor concentrators, which basically absorb water from blood rapidly, creating a concentration of cellular and protein components thus encouraging the formation of clots. In an emergency situation, where time is of essence, these can prove to be life and limb-savers. Zeolite granular is one example of a factor concentrator which is basically an inert volcanic mineral. When introduced into a wound, the mineral absorbs water in the blood through an exothermic reaction, and holds it within its zeolite pores. These pores contain cofactors that assist the coagulation process and encourage clot formation.

Another category of haemostats are the mucoadhesive agents. These are haemostats that work on physically sealing bleeding wounds by creating a strong connection to tissues and this arrests blood flow. Products of this category make use of Chitosan, a naturally obtained, bio-compatible polysaccharide that is got from shellfish. When in touch with blood and the anionic erythrocytes in it, Chitosan works on cross-linking with them, thus closing the wound.

Another variation that makes use of Chitosan in a powder form. Now available are fibrous bandages coated with Chitosan powder. The primary benefit of Chitosan is that it is broken down by natural enzymes and does not remain in the body when the bandage is removed.

Dressings of this nature best work on wounds that are flat. In fact, the popularity and efficacy of these products saw them coming out of the predominantly military space and being used in civilian situations as well. With a choice of options between granular and impregnated gauze, with direct pressure, these bandages can stop heavy bleeding in 3 minutes.

A third category of haemostats are the procoagulant supplimentors. These are coagulation enhancers that are delivered directly to a bleeding wound and provide clotting factorsthat encourage clotting and the closure of a bleeding wound.

An example of such an agent would be the dry fibrin sealant dressing (DFSD) that includes some highly purified human based coagulation factors. Research on its use does show it as being quite effective as well.

Sizes of Dressings and Their Efficacy
Some smart -sized products are shaped like tea bag sachets, which may be applied directly to the wound and even packed in with adequate pressure if needed. Once a patient is transferred to the operation theatre as the next course of action, these sachets may immediately be removed. These products were created to deal with larger wounds that cannot be attended to with average-sized haemostats.

Among other innovations that came about in haemostatic dressings are sizes and ease of application. It was found that bandages of different sizes were needed to suit various instances that they may be used. Bandages are now of the kind that may be instantly cut down to size.

Application on deep wounds became a problem and so you have bandages that come along with an applicator that allow you to insert them into wounds that are deeper than the length of a finger. These came to be extremely useful in gunshot and penetrative wounds.

There has been a lot of research on the efficacy of each range of products and it has been found that each of them have proven track records through all the situations they have been used in. While the biochemical mechanisms of these products do not really warrant debate, what is of most relevance is the ease of use in the field. Universally, the qualities looked for in these products is easy application and removal, a non-exothermic, strong packaging which lends itself to easy opening, portable packs and economic costs.

Haemostats are intended to be used as topical dressings for the immediate management of bleeding. Besides this, it can also be used to control severe bleeding from surgical wounds or traumatic injury. No matter where the use, temperatures of the bandage remain stable and there is yet any resultant allergy to be proven.

Keeping these in mind, AxioStat checks all the right boxes and is a worthwhile addition to any form of emergency care preparations. Its ease of use, application, efficacy and benefits are simply a matter of awareness reaching the right resources. Haemostatic agents are recommended for use, especially vascular injuries that cannot be controlled with mere manual pressure or with the use of a tourniquet. Besides being used in the military set up, it can also be used in mass casualty situations or where access to medical help may be delayed.

Axiostat : Emergency Haemostatic Dressing

Axio Biosolutions is a leading provider of wound dressing products used in many medical applications. The company is renowned for a wide variety of dressing care products used by the military, dentists and first aid responders in emergency conditions to prevent excessive bleeding. Through extensive research, the firm has developed a number of products to be used to control heavy and moderate bleeding. 

The company was founded in 2008 by Leo Mavely, a Bioengineer. His vision was to develop biopolymer-based products to be used in wound care. Since wounds cause pain, suffering and death, the firm’s main aim is to alleviate this suffering using innovative technology. The company slogan is to Stop bleeding, Save lives.  Their vision is to develop affordable, high impact medical products that can solve unmet health care needs of emerging markets.  Due to their innovative solutions and dedicated services, the company has won many accolades that range from the best start-up company to the most innovative firm in the field of wound care. 

The company is a front runner in developing wound dressing products. Axio is the first company to design, develop and commercialize emergency hemostat for trauma care. Their wound care products are customized for emergency, military, vascular and dental applications. Advanced research has resulted in the development of Axio clotting technology (A.C.T) that stops haemorrhage within minutes after application on wound site. Axiostat® uses chitosan, derived from shellfish, to prevent severe bleeding immediately and to dress wounds. Axiostat® is a must-have in first aid kits, ambulances, hospitals, police and military vehicles as well as automobiles. 

Axiostat Military

This product is specially designed for military applications, has a camouflaged packaging and is stored in a rugged metal pouch which is easy to carry. Axiostat® Military prevents traumatic external bleeding within a few minutes and this stops further trauma & eminent death. The product is sterile, efficient, easy to use, safe and affordable. The product is able to control bleeding during fights, gunshot wounds, punctures and stab wounds, pediatric bleeding, bleeding in patients with blood disorders, scalp and limb cuts, accidental falls as well as bleeding arteries and veins.

Axiostat Vascular

During cardio-vascular procedures, some patients experience excessive bleeding. Cardiac patients are at high risk of heavy bleeding due to blood thinners administered before medical procedures. Axiostat® vascular controls this type of bleeding within a few minutes as compared to traditional techniques that take up to 30 minutes. The V55 variant is specially developed as Axiostat® Vascular for stopping heavy volume of blood loss during interventional vascular procedures.

Axiostat Dental

Patients often experience heavy bleeding during dental procedures such as tooth extractions. This is uncomfortable for the patients in addition to the fact that lot of blood is lost. Axiostat® dental variant is specially designed to control and manage bleeding during teeth extraction. The product is small and customized to fit in small gum areas. The product is effective on mucosal tissue wounds, is fast in controlling bleeding, active on all sides, protects the gum from infections and easy to remove. 

Axio Clotting Technology

Axiostat® was developed using the Axio Clotting Technology. This technology works on the principle of charge differences through innovative process, Axiostat has been made into a highly positively-charged dressing. This reacts with negatively charged blood components and creates a quick seal at the wound site. 

CHITOSAN

Axiostat® is made of CHITOSAN that is derived from shellfish. This linear polysaccharide is used for a wide variety of applications in medicine for advanced wound care, as scaffold material and for non-parenteral drug delivery.

Advanced Wound Dressing to Minimize Excess Blood Loss and Prevent Infection

Injuries such as cuts, bruises, punctures and lacerations are common perils that every human being undergoes. These injuries occur due to unforeseen accidents.  Road accidents, sport injuries, military accidents, gunshot wounds, home or workplace accidents, falls, cuts by a sharp object and bruises can result in bleeding, which if not properly controlled, can become severe.

Dangers of uncontrolled bleeding  

Uncontrolled breeding is the second leading cause of trauma related deaths among civilians. It is also the leading cause of death among active military personnel. Severe bleeding mainly occurs when the person has been subjected to a traumatic injury that ruptures the veins and/or arteries; during surgical procedures; with individuals with coagulopathy or bleeding disorder that prevent blood from clotting.

Uncontrolled bleeding causes double vision, drowsiness, seizures, headaches, convulsions and damage to joints.  It can also result in life threatening brain & organ damage and eventual death if not stopped in time.

Stopping bleeding and hemorrhage

It is imperative to save lives by controlling severe hemorrhage. Normally, the body’s platelets initiate the blood clotting process, which changes liquid blood into a clot, eventually stopping the blood flow. The clotting process activates platelets, followed by adhesion, aggregation and the development of fibrin from fibrinogen.

When the wound is large or arteries are ruptured, the platelet action may not be adequate to stop the bleeding in time. The most conventional method is to dress the wound. The dressing applies pressure on the wound resulting to cessation of blood flow. However, conventional dressing and bandages take longer to stop bleeding and blood may percolate through several layers of dressing.

New & advanced dressing techniques such as Axiostat®, powered by ‘Axio Clotting Technology (A.C.T)’ comprises of a biopolymer that initiates the clotting process and stops the bleeding within few minutes after application.

Haemostatic wound dressing

Haemostatic wound dressing refers to the process of applying specially designed materials to stop blood loss by accelerating the blood clotting process. The material is applied directly on the bleeding site and stops bleeding shortly after application.

Wound dressing in emergency conditions

Wound dressing in emergency conditions requires a fast and effective application process. This ensures that bleeding ceases as quickly as possible. Cases of accidents, injuries, gunshot wounds where there is profuse bleeding require materials such as Haemostatic dressings. These materials are tailor-made to accelerate blood clotting. They are also sterile and prevent infections.

Specially designed materials can be applied in different parts of the body such as limbs, torso, head, neck, shoulders and gum during dental operations.

Axiostat – Mechanism of action 

There are a number of Haemostatic wound dressing technologies. Each technique has a unique agent and is available as granular powder or impregnated on bandages. These techniques can be classified as factor concentrators which use zeolite, muco-adhesive agents such as Chitosan and procoagulant supplements such as Kaolin agent.

Axio Clotting Technology uses Chitosan, that is comprised of distributed β--linked D-glucosamine and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine.  Chitosan occurs naturally in shellfish and is biocompatible. When positively-charged Chitosan comes to contact with anions in the red blood cells, a very strong adhesive seal is formed creating a mechanical barrier for the blood. Additionally, the attraction causes platelet aggregation and activation creating the formation of fibrin and eventually a blood clot. The formation of clot occurs independently of natural clotting cascade​and therefore patients with blood clotting disorders can also use it.

Chitosan is 100% natural and has inherent anti-bacterial, anti-fungal & haemostatic properties.

Control Oral Bleeding Through Effective Non-Surgical Procedures

A number of reasons call for a tooth withdrawal. Some patients might suffer from tooth decay while others need to remove the teeth as it is hindering an orthodontic treatment. There are also instances when a person might need to pull out a wisdom tooth. Let it be any reason, it is important both for the doctor and patient to understand the risk that is involved in removal of tooth like bleeding tooth that might be treated with chitosan bandage.

It is quite likely; that after a tooth is pulled out, there will be slight bleeding within the thirty-six hours. However, this situation takes a dangerous turn when excessive bleeding takes place owning to the fact that the person has some bleeding disorder.

The situation tends to get even more challenging when,

• The tissues present in the mouth and jaws are highly supplied with blood.
• Dental extraction is likely to leave an open wound that boosts the additional bleeding.
• Dislodging of the blood clot while people move their tongue.

Traditional Procedures Followed

There are various types of Dental Dressing available with the doctor for mild flow of blood from the cavity after the procedure. Immediately after the tooth is removed from the cavity, blood loss might take place. And you can Control bleeding cavity by placing a small piece of gauze in the socket of extraction and firmly bite it for about thirty minutes. Problems arise when it persists and to make the scene worse; blood starts to ooze out. Though in traditional methods, a dentist will suggest many ways such as placing a tea bag on the affected area. As it contains tannic acid, that helps in forming blood clots. Repeating is recommended if the flow continues.

Some Precautions to Take

When you are following the traditional method for stopping the flow of blood, there are a few steps that you need to follow like:

• Avoid rinsing your mouth vigorously as it might dislodge the clotting and restart the process of blood flow.
• Hot liquids such as tea, coffee, hot soup might affect adversely the wounded area. It will dissolve the blood clot and lead to the formation of dry sockets.
• While brushing the teeth on the day of the procedure, try to avoid the area of extraction and for the first twenty-four hours avoiding gargling will help you stop oral bleeding.

Innovative Methods for Oral Blood Loss

As mentioned above the conventional methods takes a lot of time and during the time of profuse blood flow, these methods do not come in handy. However, with technological advancements, innovative procedures are available in the market to top severe bleeding when it gets out of hand. With no side effects, this small spongy natural polymer Axiostat is just the right solution for a dentist during the time of emergency.

It is not only proven effective during the time of tooth removal, but, is also used in many other dental procedures and comes in handy for the dentists. After placing it in the bleeding site, and irrigating it with saline, all you have to do is remove the Axiostat with effective results.