ON THE CUTTING EDGE: Shrimp Are Huge On The Battlefield
Looking for a better way to stanch catastrophic blood loss from battlefield injuries, the U.S. Army tested fibrin bandages, collagen sponges and nanoporous ceramic powder, reports Wired News. After extensive study, the Army is now stocking up on bandages made from chitosan, a polysaccharide extracted from the exoskeletons of Icelandic shrimp that acts as a mucoadhesive, becoming very sticky when it comes into contact with blood. Dr. John McManus of the Army research program for Combat Casualty Care tells Wired that, "The chitosan dressing has achieved over 97 percent success rates for external hemorrhage control in current combat operations." Since chitosan is a carbohydrate and not a protein, it does not cause potentially fatal reactions in soldiers who are allergic to shellfish.
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