XSTAT 30: The True Lifesaver

Have you ever wondered of an injection that could stop severe bleeding in a matter of seconds? Yes, the XSTAT 30 is exactly that. It has been used for years in the US Army and has saved countless lives. Sure, it does have a good track record but it seems like this lifesaver would be more effective when allowed for use by civilians. In fact, the FDA approved this lifesaver for civilian use back in late 2015. 

Before we go onto the nitty gritty of how the apparatus works let us go through a short history and the legacy this true lifesaver has left. A  startup pharmacy company in Wilsonville, Oregon called RevMedX was founded by veterans, engineers, and researchers who had a strong desire to find a product that could address fatal wounds in the battlefield more effectively than conventional methods such as gauze bandages. Mr. Steinbaugh is a veteran who joined the company in 2012 and was part of the research and development team of this product. According to him "That’s what we pictured as the perfect solution — something you could spray in, it would expand and bleeding stops,” (Mr. Steinbaugh, Popular Science). Certainly, this was a revolutionary view on the treatment of gun wounds and the idea was very innovative. Although, the way they decided to test this idea was very simple. "So then the team turned to sponges, purchased at a hardware store and cut into 1-centimeter circles. They injected the sponges into an animal injury and “the bleeding stopped,”" (Mr.Steinbaugh, Popular Science). From that moment on they knew they were onto something and they could create something that could truly save thousands of lives on the battlefield. The US army also provided them with 5 million dollars to take their prototype to final development which was an opportunity that the startup took hold of. Along with the sponsorship of the US Army, they received grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation last year where they would create another version of the XSTAT along with the help of Oregon Health and Science University researchers which would prevent postpartum bleeding Although, the largest step this medicine took was when it was approved by the FDA for civilian use. Currently, a single XSTAT injection costs about a 100 dollars but the company officials declare that the cost of the injection will decline as the demand increases.

Certainly this product has had a great track record and has attained several sponsorships but it is all because of the way this product operates when used and how it is able to provide higher rates of success when compared to conventional methods of treating gun wounds and other wounds that could be life threatening. The XSTAT 30 is more pocket sized and very compatible as shown below. It is basically a syringe-like device that can be used to stop deep wounds such as gunshot wounds or stab wounds by injecting small super-absorbent sponges. The sponges  swell and pack when they come in contact with the blood and absorb it and halt bleeding in roughly 15 seconds.  XSTAT is also able to retain the hemorrhaging for about 4 hours which is more than enough to get the patient to the emergency ward. In order to get a true picture of how this device works when in contact with blood please refer to the figure below.

  
Each injection of XSTAT 30 is able to absorb around a pint of blood and most of the time a patient should receive at least 3 shots to stop hemorrhaging. Although what makes these small sponges so special? There are 92 sponge pieces in each injection and they are apparently made from wood pulp and are coated with an antibacterial, absorbent, and antimicrobial coating to prevent infections and further enhance the absorbing ability of the product. They are also coated with Chitosan that works as a catalyst for blood clotting and preventing bacterial infections. All of the sponges also have marks on them therefore if they show up in X-RAY scans they can be easily removed from the patient's body.

Surely, this is a great lifesaver and has proved itself as a godsend for the US military as it saved countless lives. But, now it can save lives of civilians as well which puts an unprecedented amount of demand for this product. Around 44% of civilian deaths are caused by severe bleeding from severe trauma. In fact, most civilians who were affected by these severe traumatic accidents perish before they are able to reach the hospital because of high blood loss and the fact that this product can stop excessive bleeding in 15 seconds truly shows the prodigious potential on how many lives can be saved in the battlefield and on the street and reaffirms its position as a lifesaver and as a product that has changed the landscape of medicine.

Extra Info

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCtbi4T6uek
• http://www.revmedx.com/- Website of Manufacturer

Citations

• http://www.techinsider.io/revmedx-xstat-sponges-fda-approved-seal-wounds-civilians-2015-12
• http://www.revmedx.com/#!xstat-dressing/c2500
• http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/xstat-30-bleeding-stoppage-device-fda-approval/
• http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/how-simple-new-invention-seals-gunshot-wound-15-seconds