Blood clotting compositions and wound dressings

Abstract

In general, the basic material forming the wound dressing, covering, and / or application system of the present invention for use in blood coagulation comprises a combination of one or more components selected from the group consisting of clay materials, a molecular sieve material, principally zeolite, and inorganic oxide materials. Although the actual process which enables the wound dressing, covering, and / or application system of the present invention to effectively coagulate flowing blood is unknown, it is believed that the molecular sieve material selectively absorbs small molecules, such as water, from the blood. Due to the absorption of the water molecules, it is believed that the rate of blood clotting is increased.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 939,869, filed Sep. 13, 2004, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 502,571 filed Sep. 12, 2003, entitled “Blood Clotting Compositions and Wound Dressings,” to Francis X. Hursey, the contents of these priority documents are incorporated herein by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention relates to blood clotting devices (also referred to as hemostatic agents) and methods of controlling bleeding and, more particularly, to blood clotting materials and compositions for use as bleeding control devices.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Blood is a liquid tissue that includes red cells, white cells, corpuscles, and platelets dispersed in a liquid phase. The liquid phase is plasma, which includes acids, lipids, solublized electrolytes, and proteins. The proteins are suspended in the liquid phase and can be separated out of the liq...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The composition effectively promotes rapid blood clotting with reduced heat transfer to the tissue, making it suitable for traumatic wounds, including those in remote or military settings, with a lower morbidity rate and ease of application, while maintaining product efficacy.

Problems solved by technology

Often bleeding is associated with such wounds.

Unfortunately, however, in other circumstances, substantial bleeding can occur.

If such aid is not readily available, excessive blood loss can occur.

When bleeding is severe, sometimes the immediate availability of equipment and trained personnel is still insufficient to stanch the flow of blood in a timely manner.

Moreover, severe wounds can often be inflicted in very remote areas or in situations, such as on a battlefield, where adequate medical assistance is not immediately available.

Although these materials have been shown to be somewhat successful, they are not effective enough for traumatic wounds and tend to be expensive.

Furthermore, these materials are sometimes ineffective in all situations and can be difficult to apply as well as remove from a wound.

Additionally, or alternatively, they can produce undesirable side effects.

Higher temperatures are sometimes used for LOI calculations, but procedures that utilize these higher temperatures increase the loss of chemical compounds other than water.