Calcium functioned carboxymethylated cotton fabric for hemostatic wound dressing

Massive hemorrhage is a frequent cause of human death in the operating room and other emergency situations. Therefore, effective hemostatic wound dressings are essential to save lives. Here we show that, calcium functioned carboxymethylated cotton fabric (MCF-Ca) conveniently prepared by carboxymethylation of cotton fabrics followed by treatment with calcium chloride solution could serve as an effective hemostatic wound dressing. The calcium content of MCF-Ca was determined as 18.11 ± 0.44 mg/g, and the calcium ions were released into a saline solution, a process that reached near-equilibrium within about 2 min. The biocompatible MCF-Ca promoted hemostasis via forming complexes with blood cells, and it showed lower blood clotting index as well as shorter blood clotting time comparing with unmodified CF in vitro. In addition, MCF-Ca exhibited better hemostatic efficiency than CF in vivo, resulting in much shorter hemostasis time and less blood loss in rat liver injury model and femoral artery animal model. In conclusion, MCF-Ca shows good potential to be used as wound dressing for patients with uncontrolled or massive hemorrhage.