"With advanced hemorrhage control ...20 to 30 percent of all combat deaths can be prevented."
Kenton W. Gregory, MD
Imagine a bandage that not only covers up a wound and soaks up blood but also causes the blood to form a clot once it comes into contact with it. This is exactly what the chitosan bandage does.
Chitosan is a compound found in shrimp shells. Its molecules carry a positive charge and are therefore able to interact with negatively charged red blood cells to create a clot. Research on chitosan was first conducted at Oregon Medical Laser Center in the United States. Initial results in animals showed great promise for the bandages, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved their use in 2002. The development and manufacture of the bandages was undertaken at HemCon, a company that develops technology for trauma injuries.
The implications for the battlefield, as well as for civilian life, were clear. The bandage makes the wound form a very tight clot, allowing patients to be transported more easily and reducing the need for blood transfusions on the battlefield. It is also durable and portable, enabling soldiers to self-administer if necessary Bleeding to death is the main cause of battlefield deaths, and researchers estimate that around 5,000 soldiers' lives would have been saved if the bandage had been around during the Vietnam War.
In 2005 the Pentagon allocated $10.5 million for the production of chitosan bandages by HemCon. The bandage has also been named as one of the Top Ten Greatest Inventions by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and is the only medical product on their list.
