Before antibiotics, a ruptured appendix was tantamount to a death sentence. And until 1922, when a 14-year-old Canadian teen was injected with insulin, people with Type 1 diabetes would nearly starve themselves trying to extend their lives.
A new research study suggests that many wounds — even large ones bleeding heavily — might also become something modern medicine can triage into a far less life-threatening category.
Scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have created a spray-on powder that instantly forms a strong gel barrier over a wound.
While other products like patches, wound dressings and powders have long been used in combat, the study says the new product, called AGCL powder, simply works better.
The researchers say it can cover deep, irregular wounds that conventional treatments struggle with. Notably, the powder can absorb more than seven times its own weight in blood, which lets it rapidly stop even heavy-duty bleeding.
Another benefit of the spray-on wound sealant is that it is shelf-stable, meaning it can hold up under different temperatures and humidity, something conventional products also struggle with.
The powder is durable and worked well for at least two years under room temperature and high-humidity conditions.
The technology was invented for national defense, but researchers believe it will likely someday be a boon to emergency medicine. It could be used by those helping people during natural disasters, in developing countries and in medically underserved areas.
A spray that patches a wound. If that isn’t a modern-day miracle, what is?