For over 50 years, woven cotton gauze was standard protocol in controlling severe bleeding from wounds and for wound management. Packing wounds and wrapping injuries with cotton gauze is traditionally taught at all levels of military and civilian emergency medicine; however, domestic manufacturing of woven cotton gauze is proven to be expensive, and most production has moved overseas.
Now, H&H Medical is bringing the production of cotton gauze for wound management back to the US. Based on a joint research programme with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), TACgauze Wound Wrapping Gauze was developed to use existing manufacturing processes in the US to create an affordable, effective, Berry Amendment compliant gauze for military and civilian use. With these measurable benefits, TACgauze marks the next generation of trauma gauze, according to H&H Medical.
This nonwoven product incorporates a proprietary blend of bleached cotton, synthetic fibres, and True Cotton; a sustainable, chemical free, cotton product from TJ Beall Company, into a nonwoven gauze product that is said to be significantly more absorbent by weight than standard cotton gauze. Additionally, TACgauze sheds fewer fibres than standard woven cotton gauze, is less adherent to damaged tissues, and can be torn into smaller units for easier application.
“TACgauze represents the culmination of close to a decade of USDA research and commitment from partners like TJ Beall,” says Paul Harder, president of H&H Medical. “We believed we could create a new gauze product that is better than current technology, at a competitive price, and made in the US. TACgauze meets all of those requirements.”
According to H&H Medical, the TACgauze will be available by December 2018 in lengths of 4.5-inch wide by 120-inch long. The first edition will be a rolled version, vacuum packed and sterilised. A version of TACgauze that is z-folded will be available by March 2019.
