Comparative evaluation of local hemostatic agents in experimental liver trauma: a study in the rat.

The efficacy of gelatin foam, oxidized regenerated cellulose, collagen fleece, and microcrystalline collagen as hemostatic agents was tested after standardized liver trauma in the rat. Experiments were divided into two series. In the first series all the above local hemostatic agents were tested on normal animals. Animals in which surgical gauze was applied to the traumatized surface served as controls. Nontreated animals bled profusely. Microcrystalline collagen and collagen fleece were more effective than gauze. In the second series collagen preparations were tested on animals with hemostatic disorders caused by administration of acetylsalicylic acid, ethanol intoxication, or infusion of bensylpenicillin. Collagen preparations were as effective as gauze in diminishing bleeding time and blood loss after liver trauma.