Ambulances in the United States may now be equipped with life-saving sponges to prevent gunshot victims from bleeding out. The device was cleared last year for use on the battlefield, but now, the FDA has approved it for civilian use too. Sponges are injected into the wound to stop the bleeding, and can later be removed safely once the victim has arrived at the hospital. The device, called XStat Rapid Homeostasis System, was developed by RevMedx out of Wilsonville, Oregon. What looks like a large syringe is filled with small, tablet-like sponges that can expand once inside a wound. The cellulose sponges are coated with a homeostatic agent, according to MedGadget, and grow rapidly to fill the hole.The XStat looks like a large syringe, filled with rapidly expanding spongesFDA approved the device for battlefield use last year, and now for civiliansDevice has potential to absorb 300 millilitres of blood or other bodily fluid
The _ sponges have a radiopaque marker on them, which can be detected under an X-ray to ensure all sponges are cleared from the body.