I’ve written about the latest developments in smart bandages a number of times in the past few years, with the latest products not only able to detect infection but also administer things such as insulin.

The latest innovation in the field comes via new research from Texas A&M University, where researchers have developed an injectable bandage to stop bleeding and promote wound healing, especially among soldiers injured on the battlefield.

Such injuries resulting from shrapnel wounds present unique challenges to medical staff, with death often the result.  This high mortality rate means there is a high need for self-administered materials to prevent extreme blood losses that usually result in fatalities.

Stemming the flow

The technology uses kappa-carrageenan and nanosilicates to create an injectable hydrogel that the team believe promotes hemostasis, whilst also speeding up wound healing via the controlled release of various therapeutics.

“Injectable hydrogels are promising materials for achieving hemostasis in case of internal injuries and bleeding, as these biomaterials can be introduced into a wound site using minimally invasive approaches,” the researchers say.

“An ideal injectable bandage should solidify after injection in the wound area and promote a natural clotting cascade. In addition, the injectable bandage should initiate wound healing response after achieving hemostasis,” they continue.

Kappa-carrageenan is derived from seaweed and was used to help create the injectable hydrogels.  When the kappa-carrageenan is mixed with clay-based nanoparticles, it creates an injectable gelatin.  The charged nature of these nanoparticles then provides hemostatic qualities to the hydrogels, and specifically the clotting of blood.

“Interestingly, we also found that these injectable bandages can show a prolonged release of therapeutics that can be used to heal the wound” the authors say. “The negative surface charge of nanoparticles enabled electrostatic interactions with therapeutics thus resulting in the slow release of therapeutics.”

Time will tell how effective they are at commercializing the technology, but they may form the future of wound care on the battlefield.