MRDH bandage for surgery and trauma: Data summary and comparative review

Abstract

Background: Bleeding often poses significant life-threatening situations to surgeons. After trauma, a one-third of civilian casualties and one-half of combat casualties die as a result of exsanguination. Recent advances have provided promising new hemostatic dressings that are applied directly to severely bleeding wounds in the pre-hospital period. Methods: The modified Rapid Deployment Hemostat (mRDH) trauma/ surgery bandage, containing fully acetylated, diatom-derived, poly-N-acetylglucosamine fibers, has a unique multifactorial hemostatic action that incorporates vasoconstriction, erythrocyte agglutination, and platelet and RBC activation. Results: Animal studies have shown that the mRDH bandage quickly and completely stops both venous and arterial bleeding, even in the presence of a coagulopathy. A prospective study in humans is in accord with these findings. Conclusion: The mRDH trauma/surgery bandage was able to increase survival of patients after high-grade liver trauma with an associated coagulopathy. Additional clinical studies support this result. Copyright © 2011 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.