Seafood in the E.R.Shrimp fishermen's daily catch is usually destined des·tine tr.v. des·tined, des·tin·ing, des·tines 1. To determine beforehand; preordain: a foolish scheme destined to fail; a film destined to become a classic. 2. for the dinner plate. But shellfish are now winding up in an unusual place: the emergency room. Some doctors are applying bandages made from a substance found in shrimp shells to help stop life-threatening bleeding. The bandages contain chitosan (KITE-oh-sin), a material in shrimps' exoskeletons, or outer shells. When chitosan comes in contact with blood, it turns gummy gummy an old sheep that has lost all of its incisor teeth. , helping to seal a bleeding blood vessel blood vessel n. An elastic tubular channel, such as an artery, a vein, a sinus, or a capillary, through which the blood circulates. blood vessel(s), n the network of muscular tubes that carry blood. , says Staci McAdams, vice president of marketing for the bandage's developer HemCon Medical Technologies. It also helps blood clot quicker: The stickiness of the dressing promotes the formation of a mesh-like web of red blood cells Red blood cells Cells that carry hemoglobin (the molecule that transports oxygen) and help remove wastes from tissues throughout the body. Mentioned in: Bone Marrow Transplantation red blood cells (cells that carry oxygen in the blood) and platelets (particles that help blood clot). But don't expect to slap the new bandage on a skinned knee: At more than $90 each, they're only for serious injuries. |
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