Hemoadhican-functionalized hydrophobic gauze for ultra-hemostasis in trauma emergencies and arterial hemorrhage...

Uncontrolled hemorrhage persists as a primary cause of death in trauma and arterial injuries. The deep, narrow, and irregular tracks of penetrating wounds prevent external manual compression from transmitting sufficient pressure to deep damaged vessels, limiting the effectiveness of traditional hemostatic materials. Therefore, effective hemostasis requires materials with superior plugging capability. Here, we present hemoadhican-functionalized hydrophobic gauze (HHG), a polysaccharide-based hemostat engineered via Pickering emulsion immobilization and freeze-drying to integrate structural and biological hemostatic mechanisms. This gauze is designed for insertion into confined wound tracks, where it rapidly induces clotting upon blood contact and generates internal compression to seal vessels, providing a targeted solution for deep penetrating junctional wounds. The hydrophobic nature of the gauze can effectively retain platelets and red blood cells, forming a strong blood flow barrier. In vivo studies using femoral artery injury models demonstrated HHG's superior efficacy, achieving a 76% reduction in bleeding time and 89% decrease in blood loss compared to controls. Ballistic wound simulations revealed HHG's unmatched performance, reducing hemorrhage volume by 98% versus baseline and outperforming commercial hemostats by retaining >90% efficacy under extreme flow conditions. Biocompatibility assays confirmed absence of cytotoxicity and systemic inflammation. The material's scalable fabrication, mechanical adaptability to complex wounds, and dual physical-biological action position HHG as a transformative advancement in carbohydrate polymer-based hemorrhage control. This work bridges polysaccharide material science with clinical urgency, offering a rapidly deployable solution for prehospital trauma, surgical settings, and combat care, thereby addressing a critical unmet need in global healthcare.