South Korean scientists invent spray-on medical powder that can stop wounds from bleeding in a second

Whenever someone gets a wound, it’s best to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible. This is especially true when the wound happens while in a disaster, an impoverished area, or a war zone when it's especially difficult to staunch bleeding. Fortunately, a group of scientists in South Korea may have solved this problem to buy people time until they can make it to a hospital.

Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) have developed a spray-on powder that can stop bleeding in one second. The powder from the spray is able to absorb the blood from the wound into a hydrogel regardless of the wound’s size, depth, or unevenness. This hydrogel doesn’t just stop the bleeding, it creates a barrier that can seal the wound almost immediately. While this invention was intended for military use, the researchers hope it can be applied to civilian needs.

“I started the research with a sense of mission to save even one more soldier,” Army Major and researcher Kyusoon Park said to SciTechDaily. “I hope this technology will be used as a life-saving technology in both national defense and private medical fields.”

While there are other forms of hemostatic products that can stop bleeding, including other sprays, what sets this new spray-on powder apart is not only its swift effectiveness, but its durability. Many traditional hemostatic patches and sprays are made with materials sensitive to heat and moisture, limiting how well they can be stored and used in the field. If a person suffers a wound in a swamp, there is a chance these traditional methods would be less effective or not work at all to slow or stop bleeding. Conversely, this new “AGCL” powder remains effective for up to two years in room temperature and high humidity environments. .

The AGCL powder is composed of materials Alginate and Gellan Gum, which react with calcium in order to ensure fast gelation and sealing of the wound. Chitosan in the powder bonds with blood components to enhance both chemical and biological hemostasis. This allows the powder to absorb seven times its own weight in blood, quickly blocking flow during excessive bleeding situations. The AGCL powder's ability to seal wounds is comparatively more effective than other such agents.

So far, tests involving surgical liver experiments have shown the AGCL powder as being incredibly more affective than other similar sprays. In fact, the livers being operated on with the powder regained function and fully healed within two weeks. This helps the case that this spray could not only help during emergencies in the field, but during high-pressure surgical situations in civilian hospitals as well.

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As with other medical science breakthroughs, there will need to be additional studies and time before this powder spray becomes widely available to the medical industry. In the meantime, hope and excitement are still warranted because great strides are being made to save lives.