Wet tissue adhesive self-gelling polymeric powder hydrogels for rapid hemostasis

Abstract

Acute hemorrhage frequently occurs during trauma or surgical procedures, and insufficient hemostatic control can lead to severe complications or mortality. Conventional hemostatic agents, such as fibrin glue and pre-formed hydrogels, often exhibit limited efficacy in wet and bleeding environments due to their loss of adhesion and difficulties in handling. To address these limitations, I developed a self-gelling polymeric powder hydrogel composed of dextran-aldehyde and gelatin to permit rapid hemostasis through strong wet-tissue adhesion. The powder undergoes rapid in situ gelation through Schiff base reactions between the aldehyde groups of dextran-aldehyde and the amino groups of gelatin, enabling strong wet tissue adhesion. The dex-ald/gelatin powder hydrogel exhibited robust tissue adhesion to various wet tissues, including skin (14.5 ± 2.2 kPa), epicardium (10.7 ± 3.1 kPa), and muscle (9.1 ± 3.6 kPa), and demonstrated superior sealing performance in a porcine intestine model compared to fibrin glue, achieving a high bursting pressure of 10.4 ± 1.3 kPa. Furthermore, in vitro hemolysis and blood clotting confirmed its excellent hemocompatibility and effective promotion of clot formation. These findings suggest the potential of this polymeric powder hydrogel as a next-generation hemostatic sealant for surgical and emergency applications.