The foremost way of treating a gunshot wound on a battlefield has been to pack it with gauze. Understandably, soldiers on the battlefield realize the importance of this more than anyone else. However, the process requires urgency since there needs to enough pressure exerted on the gunshot wound to stop the bleeding. Otherwise, excessive bleeding can cause hemorrhage and death, as a result. In a crucial moment such as this, packing the wound with gauze can not only take time but cause more pain. RevMedx has come up with just the right remedy in ‘XStat’ that replaces the old-time gauze.

XStat resembles a small container such as a syringe which contains minute sponges that penetrate into the wound through XStat. Upon entering the wound, these sponges expand in order to take the shape of the cavity. Once this comes to pass, it is said to stop bleeding within 15 seconds.

The makers assure that the use of XStat is fairly simple: a medic will be required to insert it into a gunshot wound and press the plunger in order to inject the tiny sponges. The syringe itself is lightweight polycarbonate and will be released in two variants: 12-millimeter and 30-millimeter. Each one is expected to cost $100.

John Steinbaugh, a retired U.S. Army medic, has also been part of the development team of XStat. He firmly believes that gauze is not quite a serious cure at all which inspired the development of XStat. Hence, it is specifically designed with civilian first responders and combat medics in mind.

The fact that the sponges contained within the tool are marked by the letter ‘X’ helps the detection of any left-overs using an X-ray machine. It is noteworthy that the U.S. Army has granted $5 million to RevMedx for the development of XStat. However, it still requires approval from FDA before it can be passed for common use within the U.S.

Only time will tell how well XStat serves its purpose to treat gunshot victims and whether it really replaces gauze for real.