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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Cotton Chemistry and Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #232014
Title: Improving on Army Field Gauze for Lethal Vascular Injuries: Challenges in Dressing Development

Author
item Edwards, Judson - Vince
item Parikh, Dharnidhar
item Howley, Phyllis
item Batiste, Sarah
item Condon, Brian

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2008
Publication Date: 6/15/2008
Citation: Edwards, J.V., Parikh, D.V., Howley, P.S., Batiste, S.L., Condon, B.D. 2008. Improving on Army Field Gauze for Lethal Vascular Injuries: Challenges in Dressing Development. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. CDROM. p. 1859-1862.

Interpretive Summary: The development of cotton-based health care fabrics that promote blood clotting and prevent microbial growth have wide applicability in medical, military, and civilian clothing. The paper focuses on our initial efforts to characterize the rate of blood clotting and the antibacterial activity of chitosan-grafted cotton nonwoven samples. We contrast this biopolymer with microporous starch which has shown promise in accelerating clotting. The use of cotton to serve as a matrix to deliver these anticlotting biopolymers shows some promise that could lead to products useful for battlefield trauma both in dressings and clothing. This technology targets a rapidly growing market in military and medical textiles that weights heavily on value added and high volume consumption of cotton for domestic use.

Technical Abstract: Accounting for half of all deaths, uncontrolled hemorrhage remains the leading cause of death on the battlefield. Gaining hemostatic control of lethal vascular injuries sustained in combat using topical agents remains a challenge. Recent animal testing using a lethal arterial injury model compared a variety of woven and nonwoven products with granular products, and found only one product (WoundStat) gave consistent animal survival (J Trauma. 2007;63:276-284). This product is a granular substance which seals the hemorrhaging wound in 30 seconds. However, the Army Institute for Surgical Research has put forth the challenge to develop an intact dressing with comparable hemostatic properties. The challenges in developing this type of product from woven and non woven cotton-based materials will be discussed.