Clay-based hemostatic agents: Fabrication, mechanisms, and evidence

Hemorrhagic control remains a serious concern in emergency medicine and combat trauma management, where achieving rapid hemostasis significantly impacts patient survival outcomes. While conventional interventions including direct manual compression and tourniquet application demonstrate clinical efficacy in routine scenarios, their limitations become apparent when managing catastrophic hemorrhage or anatomically complex injuries. Mineral-based hemostatic agents, particularly clay-derived rapid hemostats, have emerged as a promising therapeutic modality that synergizes ancestral wound management practices with contemporary material engineering. These aluminosilicate compounds capitalize on inherent cation-exchange capacities and surface charge characteristics that potentiate physiological coagulation cascades. This comprehensive review systematically examines the fabrication methodologies, molecular hemostatic mechanisms, and clinical applications of modern clay-based hemostatic agents. Through critical analysis of their crystalline structures, physicochemical properties, and evidence-based hemostatic performance metrics, we establish a scientific framework for optimizing clay material deployment in emergency care. Furthermore, this work provides substantive references for materials scientists pursuing advanced composite hemostatic systems through nanoscale modifications and synergistic biomaterial integrations.