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http://www.popsci.com/popsci/medicine/279c849101acb010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

The Seafood Bandage
A new powder made from shrimp stops serious bleeding—fast

When it comes to war wounds, red is dead. Stop the bleeding, and you save the soldier. It’s a simple idea that’s driving a budding industry for fast-acting blood-clotting agents.

The latest in the category: a pourable bandage called Celox. Made by SAM Medical Products near Portland, Oregon, Celox is a granular compound derived from shrimp shells. “It resembles uncooked grits,” says Adrian Polliack, SAM’s head of research and development. When poured directly into a bleeding wound and subjected to pressure, the posi- tively charged Celox granules cross-link with negatively charged red blood cells, forming a putty-like plug that blocks blood flow [see slideshow].

The process takes about five minutes and features key advantages over two kinds of high-tech bandages now in use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Unlike HemCon, a bandage also made of shrimp shells that works only on surface injuries, Celox can be poured into major wounds. QuickClot, a clotting aid made of mineral powder, is similarly applied but creates heat that can cause severe burns.

Celox could hit war zones by year’s end, pending approval by the Food and Drug Administration. After that, your first-aid kit.

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Lindsey Swem

June 2013

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