Hemostatic sponge.

C.R. Bard's subsidiary, Davol, Inc., has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market Avitene(r) [Ultrafoam.sup.TM] collagen hemostat, a collagen sponge used to stop bleeding during surgical procedures by accelerating blood clot formation. The Ultrafoam product is the only collagen hemostatic sponge approved for use in surgical applications, including neurosurgery.

Hemostatic agents are used extensively across a broad range of surgical procedures, but predominantly in spine, neuro, and vascular surgery. According to IMS Health, Inc., a national marketing research firm, more than 5 million hemostatic agents are used annually in the United States alone, to:

* provide surgeons with better visibility during surgical procedures by minimizing the collection of blood at the operative site;

* minimize patients' blood loss; and

* prevent postoperative complications of hemorrhage.

Unlike other hemostatic sponges on the market that require the addition of thrombin, the Ultrafoam sponge is made from Avitene collagen, a natural clotting agent. Use of Ultrafoam collagen dramatically reduces preparation time and patients' risk of a potentially hazardous reaction to bovine thrombin.