NoBlood

Jan B. Wade · #1 (**permalink**) 01-21-2004, 06:30 PM

A Powder to Halt Nosebleeds Quickly

By Dawn Wotapka
STAFF WRITER

January 20, 2004

THE PRODUCT AND WHAT IT IS MARKETED FOR: NosebleedQR is a topical powder that bonds with blood to halt bleeding almost instantly.

Users open a blister pack and load a swab with the brown powder - a blend of hydrophilic polymer, a water-absorbing resin used for food processing and water purification, and potassium salt, a binding agent. If the wall between the nostrils is covered with QR, a protective, flexible scab that mimics a natural one forms. The faux scab is a Hematrix, the trademarked name for the unique barrier, a "web that forms on top of the blood," according to Doris E. Goodman, vice president of marketing for producer Biolife LLC of Sarasota, Fla.

A similar product, UrgentQR, contains the same ingredients but is poured onto cuts. KidsQR (quick relief) is a gentler version, Biolife said.

At an area CVS pharmacy, two NosebleedQR applications cost $9.99. Urgent QR is around $8. Both are sold at CVS nationwide and in some Dick's Sporting Goods. Wal-Mart and Albertson's will carry it soon, Goodman added.

NHL and NFL teams use the product line, as do athletic departments at Princeton and Duke universities. About 300 hospitals use the QR products in departments ranging from emergency to oncology.

Florida scientist James A. Patterson accidentally discovered the product in 1999. While exploring water purification, he slashed his hand on a glass shard. He noticed the potassium salt covering his hands clotted the blood.

"He didn't have to go to the ," Goodman recalled. "He was really surprised."

The solution was first called Eco-cure, but the name was changed after the Food and Drug Administration objected to labeling the nascent product a "cure."

Since then, the company has worked to make NosebleedQR as common as gauze giant Band-Aid. QR is considered an over-the-counter bandage, but Biolife asked the FDA to permit stating that the product kills bacteria, is usable by those with bleeding disorders and promotes healing. Goodman expects permission to use the bacteria promise in the next few months, while touting healing could take two years.

To prove the product's effectiveness, Biolife in 2000 conducted a study in a Venice, Fla., emergency room environment of 45 patients with a range of "frequently encountered wounds on different parts of the body." Forty-three patients' bleeding stopped within a min- ute, including seven of the eight with a bloody nose. Of that, 37 percent stopped within five seconds of application, 33 percent ended within five to 15 seconds. Thirty percent ended within 15 to 60 seconds.

Twelve participants took anticoagulants, and the bleeding ended in 11 of them within a minute, according to the unpublished report by Dr. David Letts.

"Despite the small sample size ... UrgentQR powder clearly demonstrated a very positive response in controlling emergent bleeding that is safe, versatile, rapid and effective," he wrote.

The powder is manufactured in compliance with FDA Quality System Requirements, and testing showed the product is nontoxic and safe for external use, Biolife added. However, it should not get into the eyes or in the posterior nasal cavity, and the powder should not be inhaled or ingested.

"It doesn't really create a major event, but it's better not to inhale it," Goodman explained. "The idea is not to eat the powder."

BOTTOM LINE: In its February issue, Consumer Reports magazine labels the product a "quick solution to an occasional messy problem." But it points out that if bleeding is severe, frequent or coming from both nostrils, a doctor should be consulted. The magazine says more peer-reviewed studies are needed to confirm the studies' conclusions, "at least for people on blood thinners."

Randy Oravetz, director of sports medicine at Florida State University, started using the product after receiving samples. Now, it is popular for football's frequent cuts and softball's sliding injuries, but it is also used in other sports. At a Sugar Bowl game, NosebleedQR helped a player with a nose contusion to return to the game. "It seems to work very well," Oravetz said in an interview. "It's very efficient."

Dr. Brian S. Skrainka, a pediatric ER doctor in Indiana, agreed. He said the product, although slightly messy, is well tolerated, including by those with bleeding disorders, and has prevented more severe procedures. "When other measures failed, I was able to ... stop the bleeding," he said. "This obviously would save moms and dads from making a trip to the ER."

OTHER OPTIONS: Because nosebleeds aren't a pressing nationwide problem, there are few solutions other than holding pinched nostrils back. Goodman said some use the nasal spray Afrin, inhalers or children's nose drops.

As for cuts, options abound.

Band-Aid makes many products, including the Advanced Healing line, which forms an "instant scab to seal in your body''s own natural healing fluids," according to CVS' Web site. The company also sells a liquid bandage that forms a waterproof and breathable seal. New-Skin, $4.49 at CVS, is similar.