HemCon Medical Technologies, a wholly-owned independent subsidiary of TriStar Wellness Solutions, has received an additional $1.1m grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a new chitosan endoluminal hemostatic dressing.
HemCon, along with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), will develop the new dressing that can be delivered by a catheter to control and prevent prostatic bleeding during prostatic surgery such as transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).
The new dress is expected to rapidly control bleeding and reduce discomfort associated with extended catheterization.
According to TriStar, earlier Phase I award showed feasibility of the chitosan endoluminal hemostatic dressing and its integration into a urinary catheter device and control bleeding in a large animal model.
The Phase II funding will be used to develop a final balloon-delivered hemostatic system.
HemCon Medical Technologies chief scientist Simon McCarthy said: "Uncontrolled prostatic bleeding is a significant problem. By employing current bleeding control measures, prostatic bleeding can take from 24 to 72 hours to stop with significant associated hospitalization cost.
"Because of this extended hospitalization, we estimate the cost of prostatic procedures in US and Europe alone to exceed $9bn annually."
HemCon Medical develops and markets new technologies for hemostatic devices to control bleeding resulting from trauma or surgery.