Rapidly Photocurable and Strongly Adhesive Hydrogel-Based Sealant with Good Procoagulant Activity for Lethal Hemorrhage Control

Abstract

Lethal bleeding from severe trauma or surgical injuries to vital organs threatens the lives of patients. Advanced design of efficient hemostatic sealants endowed with both rapid curing and strong tissue adhesion remains a considerable challenge. This study proposes a novel adhesion strategy that implements strong covalent linkages with biological tissues during sealant curing. A rapidly photocurable and strongly adhesive sealant based on diazirine-conjugated chitosan (DC) is successfully developed, demonstrating a gelation time of 8 s and a burst pressure of 200 mmHg. The DC sealant accelerates in vitro clotting by facilitating the adhesion and aggregation of erythrocytes and platelets, as well as platelet activation. In a liver perforation model, the sealant substantially promotes the healing of hepatic wounds and improves survival. The DC sealant not only achieves rapid and efficient hemostasis of liver incision, femoral artery perforation, and cardiac perforation but also accelerates the recovery of cardiac perforation in a rabbit model. The rapidly photocurable and phototriggered strongly adhesive DC sealant opens up a new avenue for clinical hemostatic applications, particularly for lethal hemorrhage.