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Shrimp-Based Bandages Save Lives
Roland Piquepaille writes "Unstoppable bleeding is one of the leading causes of death on battlefields. But now, soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have a way to reduce bleeding when they're wounded. In "War Bandages," ScienCentral News writes that these new bandages contain chitosan molecules, extracted from shrimp shells. These positively charged chitosan molecules attract negatively charged red blood cells, stopping hemorrhage in one to five minutes. As said one of the co-founders of the Oregon-based company behind these bandages, "You can have a hole in your heart and 60 seconds later it's sealed." The Food and Drug Administration approved these bandages for human usage, but today they are exclusively sold to the Army. With a $90 price tag for a 4-inch-by-4-inch single bandage, would you buy them anyway? This overview contains more details and references. It also shows you how the red blood cells are attracted by the chitosan molecules."
When you need one to stop a gusher - $90 is going to seem cheap when somebody's life is on the line.
Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.
If I can carry one in my wallet for a couple of years then yeah sure. Most people in "civilian" accidents don't bleed to death from open wounds so the chances of being or finding someone else in a accident where this is usefull is remote but then again I also always carry a condom.
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In the event of a vehicle or farm accident, I'd like to see these bandages available to our EMT's - all they need to do is to buy about 30 minutes.
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I have a feeling that if I had a wound that would *require* this kind of bandage, I'd be incapacitated enough that I wouldn't be able to get to the glove box.
On the other hand, I might be able to save someone else's life. We've all heard about the staggering numbers of deaths in auto accidents... I wonder if a percentage of those might not have been fatalities if the EMT's (or other drivers) had materials like this.
It might also be worth it for people with blood clotting problems, who (without proper care) could bleed to death from a bad papercut. Does it work for them?
If I could buy one for $90 and throw it in my med kit and leave it there for 4 years, you bet. If it expires after 2 months, no way.
I have sterile bandages in there that are years old, and are still good because I take care of them.
yadda
In folks who're allergic to shellfish, which part is it that triggers the reaction? Peanut and shellfish allergies never seem to be mild, and while this is a wonderful lifesaving development, I wonder whether other methods should be kept handy in case this particular one would kill a particular person.
This kind of leads to a couple ethical questions:
How much is a possible life worth?
How much is the creator/founder/supplier entitled to for creating something that _can_ save a life?
IMHO, i'll shell out $90 in a situation that would be tremendously helped by a situation like this.
Life and death is not a time to be stingy
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I probably wouldn't buy one at ninety bucks a bandage, but I would think that hemophiliacs (and their parents) would definitely consider such a cost... well, inconsiderable.
~UP
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ummm...how large a hole can you have for SIXTY SECONDS without already being doomed to eventual death from shock or brain hypoxia or circulatory collapse?
.223 round is pretty small. If it passed through cleanly there would certainly be rapid blood loss, but maybe not enough to kill you in 60 seconds.
and how long does it take from the time the hole is created until the time it's realized, exposed, and then treated?
A
Of course you bring up the essential point - how is a medic in the field supposed to get the bandage on the heart in the first place? Stick a straw down the bullet wound and pour in the powder? You probabably don't want this stuff winding up in your brain.
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