Hydroxybutyl chitosan/diatom-biosilica composite sponge for hemorrhage control.

Effective bleeding control is critical first step in current civilian and military trauma treatment, however commercially available hemostatic materials are difficult to achieve expected effects. In this study, a composite sponge (H-D) based on hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) and diatom-biosilica (DB) was designed for hemorrhage control. H-D exhibited hierarchical porous structure, favorable biocompatibility (hemolysis ratio < 5 %, no cytotoxicity), along with high and fast fluid absorbability (11-16 times than that of weight), given effective hemostasis effect (clotting time shortened by 70 % than that of control). In vitro coagulation tests demonstrated that H-D could provide strong interface effect to induce erythrocyte absorption and aggregation, as well as activating the intrinsic coagulation pathway and thus accelerated blood coagulation. These results proved that H-D composite sponge has great potential for hemorrhage control.