Hemostatic Effect of O-carboxymethyl chitosan powder on the trauma surface in rats

Objective To study the hemostatic effect and the biocompatibility of the O carboxymethyl chitosan powder on a liver wound and a groin wound by means of rat models. Methods ① Creating trauma surface bleeding models in 78 SD-rats, The rats were classified into 3 groups: group using carboxymethyl chitosan powder (group 1); group using surgicel(group 2); and control group (group 3).Every group included 10 rats having liver wound and 10 others having femoral vein wound, and by 6 rats on the wound of femoral artery. The time and the amount of hemorrhage on the hepatic and the groin wounds were observed. ② The materials left in the hepatic models were collected by killing the animals 1 week postoperatively to examine the speed of absorption and histological changes introduced by the hemostatic agents. Results In all the groups, bleeding was stopped on the surface of hepatic and groin wounds. In groups 1 and 2, the bleeding was stopped more rapidly and there was less blood loss than that in group 3 (P0.01). There was no significant difference in the hemostatic ability between groups 1 and 2 (P0.05). The materials left on the hepatic wound 1 week postoperative produced little histological changes and the carboxymethyl chitosan was totally degraded and absorbed. Conclusions Carboxymethyl chitosan powder possesses a better hemostatic effect on wounds producing venous bleeding, but it can’t stop a bleeding of aortic origin. It shows a better histocompatibility and a faster in degradation. It could be thus a more potential hemostatic agent.