New injection helps stop traumatic blood loss

(Before It's News)

Brian Galloway for redOrbit.com – @brigallo17

It’s safe to say we need blood to live. And, well, losing blood is a bad thing, so we should try to keep all of our blood. If possible.

Thankfully, researchers from the University of Washington agree, as they’ve created an injection that works to stop blood loss from traumatic injuries.

The polymer, also called “PolySTAT”, mimics a bodily enzyme that holds blood clots in place, says Popular Science. The body’s clotting response suffices for smaller cuts, but sometimes it’s not enough for large cuts that bleed profusely.

“We designed a polymer that we can inject into the bloodstream and that’s able to integrate in the forming of clots, and it stabilizes them,” said Suzie Pun, a co-author of the study.

Promising results

The polymer showed a great deal of promise in lab testing. Researchers made an incision in the femoral artery of 40 rats, and 20 received a PolyStat injection. The untreated rats had a 50 percent survival rate, but 100 percent of the treated rats survived.

Nathan White, a physician and co-author of the study states that the polymer doesn’t appear to be toxic, according to The Verge. However, further safety and toxicity tests are needed before moving to human trials.

[STORY: Engineers create tri-layered artificial blood vessel]

Researchers are excited to continue testing the polymer. Pun says that the injection could be a “new paradigm for treating trauma.” It’s simple and doesn’t need special storage or refrigeration, so eventually it could be standard gear in first aid kits worldwide.

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