Wound-plugging Device Saves a Soldier's Life

A simple technology meant to stop major arterial bleeding has passed its first field test on the battlefield. The device, called XSTAT, was put to the test recently when a soldier with a gunshot wound to the thigh remained in critical condition after a seven-hour surgery failed to staunch the bleeding from his femoral artery. As a last resort, the forward medical team operating on the soldier decided to use the XSTAT, an oversized syringe filled with absorbent sponges that are injected di