Photocurable extracellular matrix sealant for cessation of venous hemorrhage

Hemorrhage is the second leading cause of death in patients under 46 years of age in the United States. Cessation of hemorrhage prevents hemorrhagic shock and tissue hypoxia. Controlling the bleed via direct pressure or tourniquet is often the first line of defense, but long-term care requires staples, hemostatic agents, or sealants that seal the vessel and restore blood flow. Here, we compare a new photocurable extracellular matrix sealant (pcECM) with low, medium, and high crosslink density formulations to a commercially available fibrin-based sealant, TISSEEL®. pcECM has potential uses in surgical and remote settings due to room temperature storage conditions and fast preparation time. Here, we determine if pcECM sealant can stop venous hemorrhage in a murine model, adhere to the wound site in vivo throughout the wound-healing process, and has the mechanical properties necessary for stopping hemorrhage. Adjusting pcECM crosslinking density significantly affected viscosity, swelling, burst strength, tensile strength, and elasticity of the sealant. 3-Dimensional ultrasound volume segmentations showed pcECM degrades to 17 ± 8% of its initial implant volume by day 28. Initially, local hemodynamic changes were observed, but returned close to baseline levels by day 28. Acute inflammation was observed near the puncture site in pcECM implanted mice, and we observed inflammatory markers at the 14-day explant for both sealants. pcECM and fibrin sealant successfully sealed the vessel in all cases, and consistently degraded over 14–28 days. pcECM is a durable sealant with tunable mechanical properties and possible uses in hemorrhage control and other surgical procedures.