Rapid Acting Hemostatic Material Implanted in Muscle and Extraction Sockets

Hemostasis following extraction of teeth is a key objective in oral surgery. Ideally, clotting agents should be quick acting (≤ than 1 minute, but preferably from 10-20s), achieve complete hemostasis, generate no heat, be easy to use, be incorporated into the clot, and be fully resorbed by the body. Objectives: to test one such agent, QuikClot OC®, (Wallingford, CT) for biocompatibility in muscle tissues and extraction sockets in subhuman primates. Materials & Methods: Experimental and control materials (Surgicel and cotton) respectively, were implanted in 5 monkeys in 5 locations along the spine, as well as in 8 extraction sockets. Periods of observation in muscle tissues were 30 (2x), 85 (2x) and 113 (1x) days and for the extraction sockets 113 days. The animals were perfusion euthanized and specimens processed for routine histological evaluation. Six micron thick sections were cut and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Results: muscle implantation test. For the experimental material, all three time periods were characterized by a foreign body reaction with numerous giant cells. No inflammation was observed. Surgicel had mostly disappeared after 113d. The control cotton samples showed minimal inflammation with abundant cotton fibers engulfed by foreign body giant cells. Results: bone implantation test: The experimental material showed slow, normal bone healing with a focal foreign body reaction, measuring ~ 1 mm thick, superior to and covering the residual extraction socket. Surgicel showed an extraction socket filled with dense fibrocollagenous tissue. Conclusions: QuikClot OC was well tolerated when implanted in muscle and bone tissues. Longer post-surgical time periods need to be investigated.