Use of absorbable collagen for hemostasis in general surgical patients.

Absorbable collagen sheet hemostat was used to obtain hemostasis in 62 general surgical patients. It was unusually effective in controlling profuse capillary, venular, and arteriolar bleeding in 61 of the 62 patients, with a mean time to hemostasis of 2.2 minutes. Collagen hemostat was particularly effective in the gallbladder bed after cholecystectomy, at liver and pancreatic biopsy sites, and on the cut surface of the thyroid gland. Collagen hemostat was also effective in inducing hemostasis in three patients with altered coagulation parameters associated with liver disease and in another patient with von Willebrand's disease. The material was easy to handle when wet with blood and did not stick to gloves, surgical instruments, or sponges. The collagen sheet hemostat also conformed well to tissues. None of our 62 patients experienced foreign body reaction, infection, or allergic manifestations.