Skip to main content

XSTAT hemorrhage-stopping syringe just saved a life on the battlefield

Finding real-life instances of innovations that seem too good to be true is always a rewarding experience. And search no further, friends, as we now have a real proof of concept for a truly life-saving device. The XSTAT hemostatic device, which seemed to be the stuff of science fiction when it was first introduced last year, has now successfully been used on a soldier to staunch severe bleeding in an “almost immediate” capacity.

The brainchild of RevMedx, Inc., we first told you about the XSTAT hemostatic device last Christmas — it’s designed to stop severe bleeding in a matter of seconds and prevent life-threatening blood loss in areas of the body that can’t easily be treated with a tourniquet — such as the chest or armpit. The device works by way of a series of tiny sponges that are injected into the affected area by way of a syringe-like applicator. Once in place, the sponges expand, exerting hemostatic pressure in order to stop the bleeding.

Recommended Videos

But until very recently, the device had never truly been used in a real-world, life-threatening situation.

Just a few days ago, XSTAT was applied in the first documented clinical use of the product since its release. As per reports from the U.S. military, a soldier who suffered a gunshot wound to his thigh spent hours with a medical team in efforts “to control residual bleeding from the bone and accessory vessels,” all to no avail. Indeed, the military reports, “Throughout the course of the roughly 7-hour surgery, multiple attempts at using bone wax and cautery on the bleeding sites were unsuccessful and the patient received multiple units of blood and plasma.” It wasn’t until medics decided to use XSTAT that they achieved “nearly immediate hemostasis.”

“The first-in-human experience with XSTAT is the culmination of tremendous effort on the part of both RevMedx and our military collaborators,” said Andrew Barofsky, president and CEO of RevMedx. “We are pleased to see XSTAT play a critical role in saving a patient’s life and hope to see significant advancement toward further adoption of XSTAT as a standard of care for severe hemorrhage in pre-hospital settings.”

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Google Messages to save you from embarrassment by enabling deletion of your shame
Promotional image from Google showing November 2023 updates to the Google Messages app.

Google Messages looks set to get an upgrade which could save you from the inevitable discomfort after sending that message you immediately regret.

Playing catchup with the likes of WhatsApp, Google is working on a Messages feature that will allow you to remote delete what you've sent.

Read more
Plex is about to jump 108% in price, here’s how to get it for life, for less
Plex icon seen on an Apple TV home screen interface.

Plex fans, now is your chance to get the streaming service for life, at a far lower price than it's about to jump to.

Plex announced today that it plans to increase the price on its plans for the first time in ten years - and it's certainly playing catch up all at once here with a massive 108% increase.

Read more
Microsoft just made Teams even more of a hassle to use
A Home screen in Microsoft Teams showing the different Communities to choose from.

In a Microsoft support article, the software giant says that starting in April 2025, Microsoft Teams will no longer support sending or receiving SMS from Android devices. This change pushes users to switch to the Phone Link app for SMS messaging.

If you attempt to send an SMS using Teams, you'll be greeted with an alert notifying you of the change. The SMS feature is one of the lesser-known features, and you may not have even known it existed, but Microsoft will soon remove it from Teams. For now, you can still view SMS messages under Recent and send texts, but this feature will soon be removed. Currently, the "Link your phone" feature lets you manage your text messages without having to switch to another app, thus making you go through fewer steps.

Read more