Traumatic injury is the leading cause of death for both men and women between the ages of 1 and 46 in the U.S. according to the most recent statistics, and blood loss is the primary cause of death at acute time points post injury in both civilian and battlefield traumas. Immediate intervention is critical to minimize mortality associated with severe trauma; however, currently there are no plausible methods to address internal injuries by first responders. First Responders have limited refrigeration access and medication storage boxes reach temperatures above 40 oC. The military actively seek treatments that do not require special handling for simple and easy use by first responders. In traumatic injuries, the first observable phenomena, regardless of mechanism of insult, is hemorrhaging. If one can stop the bleeding, can one preserve tissue and improve outcomes? The primary mechanical insult is very often a small part of the injury. The secondary injury processes that occur over hours, days, and weeks following injury lead to progression and poor functional outcomes. Stopping those secondary injury processes would mean preservation of greater amounts of tissue, which in turn lead to better functional outcomes. We have developed high temperature hemostatic nanoparticles that are effective at stopping bleeding and improving survival over the one hour time period in a rat liver injury model. These particles are exceptionally simple: PLA-based nanospheres functionalized with PEG terminated with variants of the RGD motif, and are able to be stored at temperatures up to 50°C and maintain size, shape, and effectiveness. The particles lead to a reduction in bleeding and increased acute survival with significance compared to both control particles and saline. Overall, these hemostatic nanoparticles offer a potential approach for an immediate intervention in the field to stop bleeding and improve survival.

Intravenously administered, high-temperature nanoparticles halt bleeding and improve survival after trauma

251st National Meeting (2016)

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