Hemostasis has critical significance during
surgical procedures.
Bone Wax has traditionally been commonly used for bone hemostasis despite well-documented undesirable side effects: hindering osteogenesis and induction of inflammatory reactions with consequent increase in
infection rates. A later developed formulation,
Ostene, offers an alternative to
Bone Wax with lesser undesired effects. In this study, BoneStat, a newly developed bone
hemostatic formulation comprising water-soluble alkylene
oxide co-
polymers, was evaluated for water solubility,
hemostatic efficacy, ease of handling, bone healing efficacy, and inflammatory reactions compared with
Bone Wax and
Ostene in a rat calvarial defect model. More than 95% of BoneStat was dissolved in water within 48 h, as was
Ostene, but not
Bone Wax. The time to hemostasis using BoneStat was significantly faster than with
Ostene or
Bone Wax. BoneStat also improved ease of handling compared to
Ostene or BoneWax. BoneStat- and
Ostene-treated groups constantly showed better bone healing than with
Bone Wax. The BoneStat and
Ostene groups presented no evidence of chronic
inflammation reaction contrary to
Bone Wax. These results suggest improved hemostasis, ease of handling, non-hindering bone healing, and unnoticeable chronic inflammatory reactions with BoneStat. Thus, Bonestat is a useful and reliable formulation for mechanical hemostasis.