Wound-Stopping Battlefield Sponge Gun Now OK For Civilian ERs

It's been approved for a year and a half on the battlefield and now a new device is approved for use in civilian ERs, too. The Food and Drug Administration has approved wider use of the XSTAT 30 wound dressing, NBC News reported.

The syringe-shaped device shoots little sponges into the wound. They expand to fill the space and stop the bleeding for up to four hours - until a surgeon can get to work.

Between 30 and 40 percent of trauma deaths are caused by bleeding, the Army Institute of Surgical Research, says. "Of those deaths, 33 to 56 percent occur before the patient reaches a hospital," the FDA said.

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