Plant-based bleeding control gel used by first responders credited with saving life in Atlanta shooting
TRAUMAGEL, developed by Cresilon, stops severe bleeding in seconds and is being supplied to emergency crews nationwide
A plant-based gel designed to stop life-threatening bleeding in seconds is being deployed by first responders across the United States and was credited this week with saving the life of a firefighter in metro Atlanta.
TRAUMAGEL, produced by Cresilon and developed by its CEO and co-founder Joe Landolina, is supplied in a compact 30-milliliter syringe and is intended for rapid application to traumatic wounds, including gunshot injuries. Company officials and reporting indicate the gel can arrest bleeding within seconds, providing critical time for transport and definitive care in the field.
Emergency medicine specialists have long cited uncontrolled hemorrhage as a leading cause of preventable prehospital deaths. Cresilon and other sources point to estimates that severe bleeding contributes to more than one-third of deaths that occur before patients reach a hospital. The company says the gel adheres to tissue and forms a barrier that helps control bleeding from penetrating and other traumatic injuries until patients can receive surgical care.
Cresilon traces the gel’s origins to early experiments by Landolina. Reporting indicates the initial work began when he was a teenager experimenting in a winery laboratory; those efforts later evolved into a commercial product aimed at addressing rapid blood loss in prehospital settings.
The metro Atlanta incident involved a member of a fire department who received an on-scene application of TRAUMAGEL after sustaining a traumatic wound. Fire department officials reported that the product helped control bleeding and allowed emergency personnel to stabilize and transport the injured firefighter. Cresilon says multiple other fire and emergency medical services agencies around the country have adopted the gel for field use.
TRAUMAGEL is marketed as a plant-based alternative to traditional hemostatic dressings and powders. It is delivered in a syringe format designed to permit direct delivery into irregular wound cavities, a feature the company highlights as beneficial for penetrating trauma such as gunshot wounds. Cresilon representatives say the product is intended for use by trained first responders and in other urgent-care scenarios where rapid hemorrhage control is necessary.
Emergency medical clinicians emphasize that early control of bleeding is critical to improving survival in traumatic injuries. Advanced prehospital interventions, combined with prompt transport to surgical care, form the cornerstone of current strategies to reduce deaths from hemorrhage. Devices and products that couple ease of use with rapid effect can be valuable additions to first-responder toolkits, clinicians say.
Cresilon has pursued distribution of TRAUMAGEL to emergency medical services, tactical medical teams and other frontline caregivers. The company has presented clinical and preclinical data to regulators and customers to support the product’s safety and effectiveness; specific regulatory statuses and approvals vary by jurisdiction and are determined by national and regional health authorities.
As departments continue to evaluate tools for on-scene hemorrhage control, the reported use of the gel in life-threatening situations has prompted additional interest from emergency services seeking to reduce preventable prehospital deaths. Cresilon and responding agencies say training in the product’s application accompanies deployments to ensure it is used appropriately in urgent settings.