Hemostats: Making Surgeries More Efficient, Effective, and Accurate

The origins of surgeries in the field of medicine can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of India, China, Egypt, and Greece, where knowledge of the human anatomy was spreading, resulting in the emergence of professionals skilled in performing intricate operations on the human body. However, the discovery of the hemostasis process, the body’s natural ability to arrest bleeding from a wound or cut, in the 16^th-century Europe gave birth to the idea of clamping blood vessels before suturing them during surgeries. Once surgery was firmly established as a specialized field of study and practice between the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, research in the field took off and rapid innovations were made to enable physicians to perform surgical procedures efficiently and accurately.

Modern surgeries are performed using sophisticated tools and hemostats form a critical component in these procedures. Absorbent sterile napkins (sponges), for instance, are deployed to dry the area in the body where the surgery is to be carried out. While hemostatic forceps are the most commonly used hemostats in surgeries, medical device companies today are developing novel instruments to support surgical procedures.

Ethicon’s Strategically Launches Its New Absorbable Hemostat 

In March 2020, Ethicon, part of Johnson & Johnson, released its SURGICEL® POWDER ABSORBABLE HEMOSTAT in Thailand, New Zealand, and Australia, with the product already being available in Singapore and Hong Kong. Ethicon’s novel product is a powdered adjunctive hemostat, developed to aid surgeons to effectively control disruptive bleeding during operations, which is highly likely to occur in patients suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

Designed to arrest continuous bleeding on broad surfaces, the powder hemostat is ideal for a wide array of cardiovascular, oncologic, gynecologic, and general surgical procedures. The company has also planned to launch the product in India, Malaysia, and Japan later this year.  

Baxter Introduces Hemostat for ENT Procedures

Baxter International, a leading healthcare company based in Illinois, USA, announced the launch of the Disposable Curve Applicator in December 2018. The new product is designed to accentuate the delivery of the company’s flagship Floseal Hemostatic Matrix product set for otolaryngology, head and neck (ENT) surgical procedures. Featuring a design that minimizes tissue damage, the curve applicator improves access to the bleeding site, facilitating a more controlled and precise deployment of Floseal.

According to Baxter, ENT procedures that will greatly benefit from this innovation include procedures involving correction of deviated septum, control of operative and post-operative bleeding in sinus and nasal surgeries, arrest of intraoperative bleeding during skull base surgery, and for functional endoscopic sinus surgeries.

COVID-19: Companies to Battle Slump in Sales

The unprecedented health and economic crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic is causing massive upheavals in the medical device industry. With fears of contracting the infection in healthcare facilities mounting, patients are choosing to delay surgeries, which are diminishing the demand for hemostats along with other surgical instruments. This is having a direct bearing on the revenues of major companies in this domain. For example, the Irish medical device company, Medtronic, reported a weekly revenue dip of roughly 60% in April, as several hospitals postponed elective surgeries in the country.

In May, the company reported a 26% overall drop in its revenue. Similar revelations were made by the US-based medical technologist, Stryker Corporation, who reported a decline in sales between 35% and 40% in May 2020, while Baxter Corporation’s revenues slid by more than USD 180 million during the same period. With elective surgeries getting pushed ahead, companies are now pinning their hopes on necessary surgical procedures, such as those performed on accident victims and cancer patients, to compensate their losses. However, medical device companies are expected to bear major setbacks as the coronavirus pandemic ravages the world.

The Future Looks Bright!

The future for hemostats appears bright, despite the adverse effects caused by the current pandemic on the revenues of medical technology companies. These companies are constantly innovating new methods, tools, and technologies to make surgeries more effective, efficient, and accurate.

Furthermore, the prevalence of comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disorders is expected to skyrocket in the next few decades. So long as the human body continues to be vulnerable and susceptible to the vast plethora of afflictions that nature has to offer, the demand for medical devices such as hemostats will remain high for the foreseeable future.

About the Author

Name: Shantanu Ayachit

Shantanu Ayachit is an avid reader and writer on diverse industries and has wide experience in developing quality content on various domains. He is passionately involved in writing articles, press releases, and blogs on a plethora of topics. Highly motivated, he enjoys putting ideas and thoughts into words to enable the reader to experience a seamless perusal.