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A TEAM of researchers at MIT has developed a nanoscale coating able to stop wounds bleeding in a matter of seconds.

The coating is formed when a clotting agent known as thrombin is mixed with tannic acid, and can easily be applied to sponges carried by soldiers or paramedics. Unlike most existing treatments, the sponges could be safely stored for months before use and don’t carry the risk of causing burns or allergic reactions.

“The ability to easily package the blood-clotting agent in this sponge system is very appealing because you can pack them, store them and then pull them out rapidly,” says Paula Hammond, a professor of chemical engineering and leader of the research group.

In tests, sponges treated with the coating took less than a minute to stop bleeding, two-and-a-half times faster than untreated sponges and at least 12 times faster than a simple gauze patch. According to David King, a surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital, the key to the coating’s success is that it allows a large amount of thrombin to be applied over a small area.

“All of the existing haemostatic materials suffer from the same limitation, which is being able to deliver a dense enough package of haemostatic material to the bleeding site,” he says. “That’s why this new material is exciting.”

Hospitals already use thrombin-filled sponges to treat bleeding, but these have to be soaked in a liquid form of the clotting agent before use. Hammond and her team, however, developed their idea with battlefields and emergencies in mind, where they must be portable and easy to use.

The researchers are in the process of patenting their creation, and are working on a version that combines thrombin with vancomycin, an antibiotic.

Advanced Materials doi: 10.1002/adma.201103794