A novel injectable foam designed to control life-threatening internal bleeding in the abdomen has shown success in its first reported clinical use, offering a potential new tool for emergency trauma care.
The product, called ResQFoam™, is injected into the abdominal cavity where it rapidly expands. This expansion creates internal pressure that helps slow the rate of hemorrhage. The primary goal of the treatment is to stabilize a patient's condition, providing crucial extra time to transport them to an operating room for definitive surgical repair of their injuries.
The treatment was administered for the first time in a patient as part of the ongoing REVIVE clinical study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The patient was in critical condition following a traffic accident. Lead investigator Dr. Preston Huguley reported that the application of the foam helped stabilize the patient, with observable improvements in blood pressure and heart rate. The patient ultimately recovered and was discharged from the hospital.
Uncontrolled abdominal bleeding is one of the most urgent and dangerous medical emergencies, as massive blood loss occurs internally where it cannot be seen or easily compressed. Rapid intervention is critical for survival, especially in remote or battlefield settings where immediate surgical access is not available.
The developers will continue clinical trials to further evaluate the safety and efficacy of ResQFoam™. If successful, the technology could become a standard intervention for emergency medical services and military medics, offering a new way to bridge the gap between injury and life-saving surgery for countless trauma patients.