Evaluation of a New Hemostatic Agent Ankaferd Blood Stopper in Experimental Liver Laceration

Abstract

Introduction: Hemorrhage is a leading cause of death after trauma. It is also the major cause of operating room deaths among patients who undergo liver surgery. Various techniques and materials have been attempted to manage bleeding, but a standard method has not been defined yet. We studied the hemostatic effects of Ankaferd Blood Stopper on liver injury in comparison with regenerated oxidized cellulose. Materials and Methods: Thirty Wistar albino rats underwent partial hepatic laceration by scissors. The animals were randomized to the treatment of resected surface with either Ankaferd Blood Stopper® (ABS, n = 11) or regenerated oxidized cellulose (Surgicel®, n = 9), or were left untreated (controls, n = 10). All the animals were resuscitated with lactated Ringer's solution at 3.3 ml/min/kg to a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 100 mmHg. Survival time, total blood loss, resuscitation volume, and MAP were recorded for 30 min or until death. The rats that were alive at the end of 30 min were sacrificed with blood withdrawal from catheters. Results: Rats in the ABS and Surgicel groups survived significantly longer than rats in the control group (p =.0001). There were no significant differences between the ABS and the Surgicel groups in survival (p =.91). Application of ABS and Surgicel was associated with a significant reduction in blood loss compared to controls (p =.008), with no significant differences between active treatment groups (p =.74). The resuscitation volume was not different. Conclusions: ABS is as effective as Surgicel in achieving hemostasis following partial liver excision in an experimental rat model.