A novel high-expansion gelatin/PVA sponge for rapid hemostasis

Uncontrolled junctional hemorrhage remains a leading cause of preventable death in both civilian trauma and combat settings, as current hemostatic devices are often ineffective against deep, narrow penetrating wounds. In this study, we fabricated a highly expandable gelatin/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite hemostatic sponge designed to address this critical gap. Using a combination of physical foaming, directional freezing, and compression-setting processes, the sponge was engineered to achieve rapid and substantial expansion (an 8–10-fold volume increase within 10 s) upon contact with blood. The material exhibited excellent biocompatibility, with a hemolysis rate of 1.3 % and no observable cytotoxicity toward L929 fibroblasts. In vitro whole blood clotting assays demonstrated rapid hemostatic efficacy, achieving 98 % clotting efficiency within 20 s. These results suggest that the gelatin/PVA composite sponge, with its dual mechanism of physical packing and active procoagulation, represents a promising candidate for controlling non-compressible hemorrhage in emergency and combat settings.