Military-grade gel-based liquid bandages approved by the FDA

Spray-on liquid bandages aren't a new idea by any means, but a company called BioCure has just received FDA approval for a gel-based version designed to treat combat wounds. Developed in conjunction with Rutgers University and the Army, the GelSpray Liquid Bandage is applied with a dual syringe that combines two different polymers that combine into a gel, spreading to cover and protect the wound. The gel only sticks to intact skin, not the wound itself, and it's hard enough to resist abrasion. BioCure is already talking about medicated versions that will treat infection and stop severe bleeding, and the prospect of civilian applications are also on the table -- but no dates have been given, sadly.

[Via Medgadget]

[Kris @ Feb 8th 2008 2:53PM]

That's awesome. I hope it gets into the consumer medical market soon.

[mr friggles @ Feb 9th 2008 10:07AM]

Why, so you can get cancer polyps where you got a flesh wound?

Why do you this is only limited to the military? FDA APPROVAL. You think two polymers catalyzing on top of an open wound is worry-free?? No way in hell this would past consumer testing. Wouldn't be surprised it actually slowed down recovery time and left some nasty scarring.

Yet another instance where troops are being used as guinea pigs.

[iptydafu @ Feb 8th 2008 2:58PM]

Thanks, but I'll stick to super-glue.

[Rob @ Feb 8th 2008 3:12PM]

I agree. While in the Service, I had a vertical cut around my ankle area of about 2 inches, the MD poured some cleansing solution and looked for any debri, then on with the Crazy Glue he went. It worked like a charm. A few days later, the glue residue fell right off.

[Alexander @ Feb 8th 2008 3:16PM]

Now THAT'S funny.

[Anthony @ Feb 8th 2008 3:40PM]

I wonder how much super glue costs when sold to the military.

[andrewyamp @ Feb 8th 2008 6:56PM]

yeh most of the liquid bandage products just use cyanoacrylate which is superglue

[paul @ Feb 8th 2008 6:04PM]

Cyanoacrylate (super glue) was actually developed during WW2 by the US military to do exactly that - treat combat wounds on the spot quickly and cheaply. It's sterile so it won't cause infection (as long as the wound is clean when applied), and can be produced extremely cheaply.

[skulldriveshaft @ Feb 8th 2008 6:17PM]

Well that is a version of glue made for medical purposes - I have had that used in place of stitches.

Sometimes the sensory cells don't match up properly and you wind up with a hair or two that grow thicker, with a sometimes unwanted bonus of having extra sensory abilities of being able to feel temperature and touch from a different area.

This is good for sealing up skin fast - but only if everything that got inside/under the skin is removed - otherwise you've just created an incubation chamber that may not get further treatment.

This is definitely better than running out of sterile bandaging, which comes along with it's own host of damage problems when exposed to the elements.

[Zeus.:God @ Feb 9th 2008 6:36AM]

I have a big tube of CA glue (Cyanoacrylate) for gluin' tires for my Savage and T-Maxx.

[CraigJ @ Feb 8th 2008 2:58PM]

Something for my next mountain biking trip

[Darkroom @ Feb 8th 2008 3:01PM]

im curious how it's removed, or if it gets in your eyes...

[zfurie @ Feb 8th 2008 3:17PM]

Just like quickly removing band-aid.

Someone pulls it, you give a quick yelp, then you see your left eyeball hanging on the gel.

[Fubar @ Feb 8th 2008 7:07PM]

It's all fun and games until somebody puts out an eye.

[Slm4996 @ Feb 8th 2008 8:19PM]

I have had super glue in my eye, long story, They just wipe it out after it has dried with a cotton swab. The surface of the eye has layers, sorta like your skin, and the topmost layer pulls away without severely damaging your eye.

[Tylergels @ Feb 9th 2008 2:13AM]

I'm sure the syringe would have some sort of warning on the side. [DO NOT SPRAY IN EYE!]

[BobTheMonkey @ Feb 8th 2008 3:01PM]

Hurts like a MF, though.

[Fred @ Feb 8th 2008 3:04PM]

This will help next time I get my arms ripped off in a thresher driven by mountain lion while I'm pinned under a fallen boulder.

[skulldriveshaft @ Feb 8th 2008 6:19PM]

but you are pinned under fallen boulder

how long are your arms that they can reach thresher?

[Fred @ Feb 8th 2008 6:36PM]

Maybe my legs were pinned?

[Brian @ Feb 8th 2008 3:13PM]

Awesome. I can't wait till these are available, retail. Time to bust out the razer blades! :-D

[Richard @ Feb 8th 2008 4:42PM]

The gel doesn't come with the hours of therapy you need.

[Pretty Boy @ Feb 8th 2008 3:16PM]

Super glue is an awesome fix! I used it when my arm was sliced 3 inches wide down to the muscle....sure, I should have gone to the Doctor, but a 50 cent tube of super glue is much cheaper than co-pay for the ER.

[Rob @ Feb 8th 2008 3:33PM]

John Rambo in the house.

[Matt @ Feb 8th 2008 3:52PM]

Thank god for living in Canada.

[Bob @ Feb 8th 2008 4:49PM]

I use crazy glue all the time for blisters. Just cut a small incision, drain the fluid and squeeze in the glue. It burns like hell for a few seconds but then all pain is completely gone and you are as good as new. Much better than covering the blister and waiting two weeks for it to heal.

[Fred @ Feb 8th 2008 6:38PM]

@matt Enjoy that while it lasts. LOL

[bombgigitty @ Feb 8th 2008 3:45PM]

Then we all turn into zombies that melt if we dont shoot it up constantly

[Jordan @ Feb 8th 2008 3:50PM]

Reminds me of biofoam from the Halo novels.

[Abuzar @ Feb 8th 2008 4:06PM]

Dude I was gonna say the same thing! I just got done with Fall of Reach.

[JD @ Feb 8th 2008 6:15PM]

I was gonna say it sounds like Medi-gel from Mass Effect, haha.

[Fred @ Feb 8th 2008 6:39PM]

"Bio-foam" is real isn't it? Didn't I see that on some old0school Beyond 2000 or something?

[RIFRAF @ Feb 10th 2008 4:52PM]

I've also heard of it as plasti-flesh in old sci-fi books. Eventually they'll probably encorporate living tissue into the goo, and it will mend even better/safer.

[idiot @ Feb 8th 2008 4:22PM]

am I the only one who wants to spray this on a friend's mouth when he falls asleep?

[Jeremy K. @ Feb 8th 2008 4:28PM]

lol I thought you said IN a friend's mouth.

[idiot @ Feb 8th 2008 4:33PM]

well i guess it would result in the same effect albeit a more, um, fatal one

[Fred @ Feb 8th 2008 6:40PM]

He'd freak out, and go all Neo...that would be funny.

[m @ Feb 8th 2008 4:55PM]

i hope they offer bulk discounts. i hear we'll need a 100+ year supply.

[Bandit @ Feb 8th 2008 4:59PM]

Isn't there something toxic about super glue? It's made with cyanoacrylate, right? Is it really ok to be squirting that into blisters and open wounds?

[austin @ Feb 8th 2008 5:16PM]

i'll use this after my next bear-wrassling match.

i'm a legend in the world of bear wrassling. look me up

[granny down east @ Feb 8th 2008 8:57PM]

Super glue. I put it on a cracked tooth. Did the trick.

[NovaLand @ Feb 9th 2008 12:27AM]

I'd put a dentist on it

[granny down east @ Feb 10th 2008 11:20PM]

No dentists 200 miles at sea. Pfft.

[Tylergels @ Feb 9th 2008 2:07AM]

So this is the all purpose gel from Trauma Center?! Sweet! =D

[Ed @ Feb 9th 2008 5:23AM]

Oh the possibilities for abuse.....

Resistant to abrasion? Sounds pretty strong.

Sticks only to intact skin? Check.

Military Grade? Check.

I can see the guys from Jackass using this one on some poor fuckers ass crack. Just wait.

[Eric @ Feb 9th 2008 10:21AM]

Can they color it? I use liquid bandage all the time and the only complaint is that it is clear, so the wound shows through.

[dave @ Feb 10th 2008 1:33PM]

cyanoacrylate was developed to temporarily close large chest wounds to maintain chest wall integrity in vietnam.

[ely @ Mar 26th 2008 2:38PM]

Our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are using a HemCon Bandage called KytoStat to treat wounds, many of them life-threatening. To read about some of these documented cases, please go to: http://www.wherebleedingstops.com. KytoStat is as easy to use as a regular bandage. Through a unique manufacturing process an adhesive natures forms on the bandages and red blood cells are drawn to the bandage, creating a seal over the wound that forms a tight bond and stops the bleeding.

[rob @ Apr 28th 2008 3:25AM]

just to clear up a couple myths in the above post superglue was not invented during world war II to treat wounds but for plastic-type applications, its ability to treat wounds was discovered during vietnam (22 years after its discovery).
And to Pretty boy, you did yourself a disservice by closing such a deep wound with superglue, it's great for skin but won't close fascia.