Military

WoundStat dressing compound cleared for battlefield use

WoundStat dressing compound cleared for battlefield use
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September 24, 2007 A potentially lifesaving new type of dressing compound has been approved for use by the FDA. WoundStat is a lightweight, pre-mixed, compound that stems high-pressure bleeding in moderate to severe wounds and is ideal for combat situations due to its portability and ability to be be applied on the spot. Like the Integrated Tourniquet Clothing System covered recently on Gizmag, the development provides another avenue of relief for what remains a major cause of death on the battlefield - bleeding to death.

"The FDA's speedy approval of WoundStat means that we can get it more quickly into the hands of those who need it most today - our warfighters in harm's way around the world." said Devinder S. Bawa, chief executive officer of TraumaCure. "The product's effectiveness is particularly important with core body wounds that a tourniquet can't reach. We believe that WoundStat has the potential to provide the military with another important tool to minimize battlefield deaths caused by hemorrhaging."

"Uncontrolled bleeding continues to be the primary cause of death on the battlefield," said Kevin Ward, MD, a VCU emergency physician and associate director for VCURES. "After years of research we've developed a versatile and robust material that is specifically suited to treat the tremendously complex wounds of war under very demanding environmental conditions. The material is both very absorbent and adherent which helps to quickly stop the bleeding while simultaneously facilitating clotting."

The patent-pending technology behind WoundStat is the result of more than three years of research and development by VCURES. The university center not only conducts research on life-saving technologies, it plays a key role in training around 50 percent of the Special Operation Combat Medics in the U.S. military. TraumaCure anticipates that WoundStat will be available for deployment by the late fall. Both U.S. military and foreign military allies have expressed interest in the new product.

"WoundStat's value goes beyond the battlefield," said retired Lieutenant General Ronald Blanck, DO, former Surgeon General of the Army. "It will provide a life-saving tool in everyday civilian emergency situations as well as where advanced medical care is not immediately available, such as accidents in remote terrain and on the high seas, or in unexpected disasters such as earthquakes or explosions."

TraumaCure is continuing research for discovery and development of additional products based on the core compounds used in WoundStat. The current focus is on trauma injury care, and future products will aim at surgical, chronic wound, and burn care.

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