This Device Could Be the Difference Between Life and Death on the Battlefield

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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2014/02/04/this-device-could-be-the-difference-between-life-and-death-on-the-battlefield/

An Oregon company hopes to one day arm first responders and military medics with a device that could save gunshot wound victims from bleeding to death.

The XStat, an instrument created by RevMedx, is packed with tiny sponges that are coated with a hemostatic agent to help stop the bleeding, according to the company’s website.

The device acts as an applicator into the wound cavity — which is why it looks like an oversized syringe — where the sponges are released and help to essentially plug the injury.

The quick-fix method helps “present a large surface area for clotting” and doesn’t require direct manual pressure, the company said.

RevMedx said the device showed promise in a swine model, often used in the medical world as a substitute for humans because of similar physiology. The device provided a significant improvement in terms of curbing blood loss and hence survival one hour after an injury, the company said.

The device is still designated only for investigatory use and hasn’t been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.