Hemostatic strategies for traumatic and surgical bleeding.

Wide interest in new hemostatic approaches has stemmed from unmet needs in the hospital and on the battlefield. Many current commercial hemostatic agents fail to fulfill the design requirements of safety, efficacy, cost, and storage. Academic focus has led to the improvement of existing strategies as well as new developments. This review will identify and discuss the three major classes of hemostatic approaches: biologically derived materials, synthetically derived materials, and intravenously administered hemostatic agents. The general class is first discussed, then specific approaches discussed in detail, including the hemostatic mechanisms and the advancement of the method. As hemostatic strategies evolve and synthetic-biologic interactions are more fully understood, current clinical methodologies will be replaced.