Abstract
The objective of this clinical preliminary study was to evaluate the hemostatic efficacy of a chitosan derivative-based hemostat prototype (MTEC prototype), compared with that of two commercial materials, SPONGOSTAN@ Standard and Algisite-M, in split-thickness skin graft donor sites. The study was conducted at Ang Thong Hospital in Ang Thong Province involving eight patients who underwent skin grafting during the period June-November 2008. The three tested materials were randomly put on wound sites from the direction of the patients’ toes to their heads. Gauze was placed on top of the materials. To secure the materials, they were gently pressed by hand. Bleeding was visually observed and the wound sites were photographed at 5 and 8 minutes. At each time point, the wounds were uncovered for 30 seconds for the observation of blood ooze. The wounds were photographed again at 5 1/2 and 8 1/2 minutes. At last, the materials and gauze were weighed for the determination of blood loss. The results revealed that the amount of blood loss found in the materials was in the following order: SPONGOSTAN@ Standard < Algisite-M < MTEC prototype, while the amount of blood loss found in the gauze was in the following order: MTEC prototype < SPONGOSTAN@ Standard < Algisite-M. Nonetheless, there were no significant differences in the total amount of blood loss when the wound sites were treated with these three materials. From visual observation, the MTEC prototype, however, seemed to stop the bleeding most efficiently as determined by the least blood ooze apparent at 8 1/2 minutes.
