Successful use of a military haemostatic agent in patients undergoing extracorporeal circulatory assistance and delayed sternal closure

Abstract

We report the successful control of bleeding in two patients who underwent post-cardiotomy extracorporeal circulatory support (ECMO) and then developed life-threatening bleeding due to severe coagulopathy. After the failure of conventional techniques, bleeding control was achieved using Celox™ Gauze (MedTrade Products Ltd, Cheshire, UK) packed on the sternal edges and pericardial cavity. © 2012 The Author.