Method and apparatus for hemostasis

Abstract

Devices and methods are disclosed for achieving hemostasis in traumatized patients. Such haemostatic packing devices and methods are especially useful in the emergency, trauma surgery or military setting. The patient may have received trauma to abdominal viscera, the thoracic cavity or the periphery. The devices utilize fluid impermeable outer surfaces and distributed pressure to achieve tamponade and hemostasis, primarily by exertion of pressure. The devices come in a variety of configurations including sheet, rolled sheet, folded sheet and polygonal solids including extruded shapes. The devices are capable of serving as carriers for thrombogenic or anti-pathogenic agents. The devices are flexible, bendable, and conformable in their wet or dry state so that they exert distributed pressure on the wound. The hemostatic packing devices may be placed and removed by open surgery or laparoscopic access without generating excessive re-bleeding, and may further comprise antimicrobial or thrombogenic regions.