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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.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
from the movie Independence Day:
"You don't actually think they spend twenty thousand dollars on a hammer, thirty thousand dollars on a toilet seat, do you?"
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.
A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
Not really. Shrimp are farmable, very easily (think sea monkeys...). Might as well ask "will cows be hunted to extinction".
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?
"You can have a hole in your heart and 60 seconds later it's sealed."
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?
and how long does it take from the time the hole is created until the time it's realized, exposed, and then treated?
Weird. I knew a former Marine who talked about using the shrimp-based bandages for wounds. They've been atound for a while, that's for sure.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Nowadays, we have this thing called "farming". It's rather good at solving the problem of over-hunting (over-fishing, over-picking, etc).
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
Of course, we could fish to extinction the fish needed to feed all of those shrimp.
-- Too lazy to get a lower UID.
Potatoes stop bleeding too. I thought I originally read this on Slashdot, but Google is not being helpful. Actually, it's like dried potatoe flakes or powder. But the story is the same, it near instantly stops bleeding.
Marques Johansson
Will it work if you're allergic to shell-fish? That's what I want to know.
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
Error 407 - No creative sig found
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
Eat the Path.
You self-righteous, brainless shit.
John Holcomb has been working on this for 12 years, with no big company that has other income streams to fund the research.
Also, do you know how diffucult it is to create these bandages? Neither do I. Maybe it costs $70/bandage to specially refine the chemical and create the bandage. After all, if it were easy, it wouldn't have taken 12 years.
Besides, the Pentagon probably thinks that a $90 silver bullet to reduce the mortality rate by 10% is an incredible bargain. And these bandages will reduce the amount of work that doctors will have to do to repair wounds, meaning that they can treat more personnel, and less blood loss means that there will be less systemic damage, and less need for blood transfusions, people will heal quicker, etc, etc, etc...
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
The rection is very exothermic (generates a lot of heat). In fact enough heat to cause serious burns (an extra complication). The trick for using the version issued to the army in powedered form is to be trained to use just enough powder.
Would anyone have them at home. Sure. Imagine a deep glass wound to the neck, arm or leg without immediate treatment (pressure to the wound or this material) you could be dead in minutes. I think this will find it's way into better First Aid boxes. EMT and other first responders (including the police) could use it now.
Gash yourself, then pour salt and cayenne on the wound, and get back to us, ok?
Ah... I'd be glad to, but that wouldn't follow the scientific process, now would it? We'll need to set up a double-blind study. Any volunteers?
Imagine a car accident, you drive by and see someone clutching their wrist/arm/etc and is applying pressure to stop the bleeding.
If one of the these patch bandaids can stop hemorraging type bleeding in 60 seconds, that would be a life saver. It means the difference between making it to the hospital or dying on the way.
The same would apply to shootings where the wound itself didn't damage anything life theatening, but did result in a badly bleeding wound. A patch bandaid capable of stopping the bleeding would be a godsend.
As another pointed out, seafood allergies would suck.
These can also be of great assistance in helping people who have "accidentally" cut their wrists or otherwise rendered a life threatening wound where death by bloodloss may result.
At $90 a pop for a 4"x4" bandage isn't cheap, but that is relative. If you just suffered an accident with a sharp piece of metal and are bleeding badly, $90 to stop the bleeding and save your life will be a bargain.
I would imagine that for smaller wounds, the bandage can be cut into smaller sections.
If they can drop the price to $10 per 4"x4" bandage and sell them in packs of 4-5, you would be able to offer them in local stores, to ERT/EMT, and to schools.
This kind of medical discovery is what we need more of. Ways to save lives.
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