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In vitro and in vivo evaluation of polymer hydrogels for hemorrhage control |
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| Authors: | Brendan J. Casey Adam M. Behrens Zois I. Tsinas John R. Hess Zhongjun J. Wu Bartley P. Griffith |
| Affiliation: | 1. Fischell Department of Bioengineering , University of Maryland , 2330 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, College Park , MD , 20742 , USA;2. Department of Pathology , University of Maryland School of Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center , Blood Bank N2W50a, Baltimore , MD , 21201 , USA;3. Department of Surgery , University of Maryland School of Medicine , MSTF Building Room 434F, 10 South Pine Street, Baltimore , MD , 21201 , USA |
| Abstract: | In vitro and in vivo experimentation of various synthetic polymer hydrogels was conducted to establish some of the integral material properties that influence hemostasis. In vitro swelling experiments suggested that positive electrostatic charge was a key determinant of the ability of a polymer hydrogel to absorb physiological fluids, e.g. human plasma and blood. In vitro testing using unadulterated sheep blood suggested positive electrostatic charge and crosslink density were key determinants of the ability of a material to induce or enhance clot formation. Hydrogel formulations composed of higher amounts of positive electrostatic charge and lower crosslink density were able to effectively induce and enhance clot formation in the presence of a coagulation cascade activator. In vivo experimentation confirmed that hydrogels containing higher electrostatic charge and low crosslink density are more effective at fostering the formation of a robust hemostatic plug to control blood loss. |
| Keywords: | coagulation hemostatic hydrogel blood interaction |