XStat – Stopping Gunshot and other Hemorrhages in seconds

A person can hemorrhage out pretty quickly from a gunshot wound. The average adult has five liters of blood and large wounds or wounds in difficult places can make a wound fatal pretty easily.  There is a new product that has been introduced called XStat which was developed by a company RevMedx in order to help this exact issue.

Xstat packs the wound and applies pressure in 15 seconds to ensure the hemorrhage does not become fatal. Xstat is basically a clear syringe filled with dozens of 12 millimeter sponges. You apply these sponges directly into an open wound which then quickly expand ensuring they stay in place, allowing the victim to be transported for surgery.

John Steinbaugh, one of the inventors, was previously a US Army Special operations medic and saw firsthand the current methods and problems with those methods.. Hemorrhages are the top causes of military deaths and this is because wounds are normally packed tightly with gauze which doesn’t always work and in addition is very painful.

The original idea for Xstat was to use an expanding foam substance. However, the foam was not able to handle the pressure from the blood vessel. The next step was trying prototypes made from regular sponges. However, the current version of Xstat is made from fast acting and sterile wood pulp. The initial pressure created by the first sponges is adequate to contain the bleeding.

Xstat is obviously just meant to be a way to contain the hemorrhage before surgery. The sponges are all marked with an x to ensure the surgeon can clearly see them on X-ray and none are accidentally left behind. This will prevent infections like sepsis from happening from left behind sponges.

Current price is $100 per unit, but that is expected to lower as production levels go up. The device is already being thought of for other applications such as hemorrhages during child birth. RevMedX applied with the FDA for expedited approval and is currently in the final stages of approval.

Check out some of the company’s other innovative military minded designs such as Air Wrap and Xgauze. Air wrap is a bandage that inflates to add pressure and Xgauze is a roll of gauze with the expanding sponges built in. Sounds like some great designs that could be great in a first aid kit, not just military applications.