An Injectable, Self-Expanding Hemostatic Foam for Field-Compatible Postpartum Hemorrhage Management

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide and a major contributor to global morbidity. Although several interventions exist in high-income countries, current solutions often suffer from poor field-compatibility, limited efficacy, complex application, insufficient hemostatic support, and difficult removal. Here, a hemostatic foam designed for field compatibility and made from stable precursors, together with an easy-to-use delivery device for treating life-threatening PPH is introduced. The device enables rapid, user-friendly generation and intrauterine application of a hydrogel foam, which controls bleeding through both coagulation support and tamponade pressure before safely degrading. The expanding foam achieves the target pressure range of standard intrauterine tamponade (67-92 mmHg), confirmed across in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models. Induced degradation produces 76 ± 8% mass loss within 6 h, with storage modulus dropping from 2.98 ± 0.08 kPa after fabrication to 1.60 ± 0.25 kPa after partial degradation. Incorporation and controlled release of tranexamic acid and cefuroxime show versatility in topical drug delivery. Beyond extensive ex vivo testing, rapid, controlled deployment in vivo in a swine model is demonstrated. By integrating mechanical and chemical mechanisms, this injectable foam provides effective bleeding control, with a design well suited to low-resource settings.