title: Shear-thinning nanocomposite hydrogels for the treatment of hemorrhage.
abstract: Internal hemorrhaging is a leading cause of death after traumatic injury on the battlefield. Although several surgical approaches such as the use of fibrin glue and tissue adhesive have been commercialized to achieve hemostasis, these approaches are difficult to employ on the battlefield and cannot be used for incompressible wounds. Here, we present shear-thinning nanocomposite hydrogels composed of synthetic silicate nanoplatelets and gelatin as injectable hemostatic agents. These materials are demonstrated to decrease in vitro blood clotting times by 77%, and to form stable clot-gel systems. In vivo tests indicated that the nanocomposites are biocompatible and capable of promoting hemostasis in an otherwise lethal liver laceration. The combination of injectability, rapid mechanical recovery, physiological stability, and the ability to promote coagulation result in a hemostat for treating incompressible wounds in out-of-hospital, emergency conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
authors.forename: Akhilesh K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Gaharwar
authors.forename: Reginald K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Avery
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Assmann
authors.forename: Arghya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Gareth H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: McKinley
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khademhosseini
authors.forename: Bradley D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000188:drug therapy*; D020100:Hydrogels; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D053761:Nanocomposites; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels
keywords: hemorrhage; hydrogels; nanocomposites; shear thinning; synthetic silicate nanoplatelet