Design of nanoconstructs that exhibit enhanced hemostatic efficiency and bioabsorbability

Hemorrhage is a prime cause of death in civilian and military traumatic injuries, whereby a significant proportion of death and complications occur prior to paramedic arrival and hospital resuscitation. Hence, it is crucial to develop hemostatic materials that are able to be applied by simple processes and allow control over bleeding by inducing rapid hemostasis, non-invasively, until subjects receive necessary medical care. This tutorial review discusses recent advances in synthesis and fabrication of degradable hemostatic nanomaterials and nanocomposites. Control of assembly and fine-tuning of composition of absorbable (i.e., degradable) hemostatic supramolecular structures and nanoconstructs have afforded the development of smart devices and scaffolds capable of efficiently controlling bleeding while degrading over time, thereby reducing surgical operation times and hospitalization duration. The nanoconstructs that are highlighted have demonstrated hemostatic efficiency pre-clinically in animal models, while also sharing characteristics of degradability, bioabsorbability and presence of nano-assemblies within their compositions.