The Pentagon has shown extensive interest in an injectable foam that could be used to stop internal bleeding in the abdomen – the hope being to use it for soldiers with internal injuries on the field.
The foam, called ResQfoam, has been developed by Massachusetts-based medical device firm, Arsenal Medical. On Wednesday the company announced that it has received $14 million for the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Previously the company received $22 million from DARPA, the Pentagon research arm. The funds will go toward testing in humans in the hopes of FDA approval.
ResQfoam is a biocompatible, self-expanding bio material that conforms to the abdominal cavity and is designed to save crucial time before it is removed at the hospital.
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At the point of injury, the foam is administered through the navel to help stop the bleeding when there has been trauma. The company sees it being used for instances such as car crashes, gun shot wounds, stab wounds, explosions or extreme falls.
David R. King, M.D., F.A.C.S., an attending trauma surgeon in the Division of Trauma, Emergency Surgery and Surgical Critical Care at Massachusetts General Hospital, has worked with Arsenal and developed preclinical proof of the foam’s efficacy in cadavers.
“The strong governmental support we have received for this program has allowed Arsenal to complete a comprehensive and carefully executed development program that was ideally tailored to create a novel, life-sustaining product of this kind,” Upma Sharma, Ph.D., senior director of research and development at Arsenal, said in a company statement. “We look forward to working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the timely review and availability of this critically important product for both civilian and military trauma care.”
Photo: Screenshot via Arsenal Medical
