A spray-on gel to staunch bleeding during brain surgery has been developed by New Jersey Institute of Technology. Surgeons can spray the gel onto a surgical site, and the natural bio-polymer solutions in the gel will cohere and control bleeding in the patient within 30 seconds. The gel can shorten an intracranial surgery by 30-45 minutes. It will translate into less time for the patient’s skull to be open and less anesthesia, reducing both the possibility of infection and morbidity. Shorter surgeries also reduce hospital costs: The new gel is expected to save hospitals more than US$3000-4000 per case. The hydrogel derives from two polysaccharides that are simultaneously mixed and sprayed onto a surgical site…
Posted: July 15, 2014