1. Hutchinson RW, George K, Johns D, Craven L, Zhang G, Shnoda P. Hemostatic efficacy and tissue reaction of oxidized regenerated cellulose hemostats. Cellulose. 2013; 20(1): 537-545.

2. Ethicon, Inc. Comparison of hemostatic performance of SURGICEL absorbable hemostatic products (G. Zhang).

3. Martyn D, et al. Reduction in hospital costs and resource consumption associated with the use of advanced topical hemostats during inpatient procedures. Journal of Medical Economics. 2015;18:474–81.

SURGICEL^® Essential Product Information 

INDICATIONS
SURGICEL^® Absorbable Hemostat (oxidized regenerated cellulose) is used adjunctively in surgical procedures to assist in the control of capillary, venous, and small arterial hemorrhage when ligation or other conventional methods of control are impractical or ineffective. SURGICEL^® ORIGINAL, SURGICEL^® FIBRILLAR™, SURGICEL NU-KNIT^®, and SURGICEL SNoW™ Absorbable Hemostats can be cut to size for use in endoscopic procedures. 

CONTRAINDICATIONS 

• Although packing or wadding sometimes is medically necessary, SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat should not be used in this manner, unless it is to be removed after hemostasis is achieved (See WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS).  
• SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat should not be used for implantation in bone defects, such as fractures, since there is a possibility of interference with callus formation and a theoretical chance of cyst formation. 
• When SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat is used to help achieve hemostasis in, around, or in proximity to foramina in bone, areas of bony confine, the spinal cord, or the optic nerve and chiasm, it must always be removed after hemostasis is achieved since it will swell and could exert unwanted pressure.  
• SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat should not be used to control hemorrhage from large arteries.  
• SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat should not be used on non-hemorrhagic serous oozing surfaces, since body fluids other than whole blood, such as serum, do not react with SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat to produce satisfactory hemostatic effect.  
• SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat is an absorbable hemostat and should not be used as an adhesion prevention product. 

WARNINGS

• SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat is not intended as a substitute for careful surgery and the proper use of sutures and ligatures. 
• Closing SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat in a contaminated wound may lead to complications and should be avoided. 
• The hemostatic effect of SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat is greater when it is applied dry; therefore it should not be moistened with water or saline. 
• SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat should not be impregnated with anti-infective agents or with other materials such as buffering or hemostatic substances. Its hemostatic effect is not enhanced by the addition of thrombin, the activity of which is destroyed by the low pH of the product. 
• Although SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat may be left in situ when necessary, it is advisable to remove it once hemostasis is achieved. It must always be removed from the site of application when used in, around, or in proximity to foramina in bone, areas of bony confine, the spinal cord, and/or the optic nerve and chiasm, and in proximity to tubular structures that could become constricted by swelling, regardless of the type of surgical procedure because SURGICEL Hemostat, by swelling, may exert pressure resulting in paralysis and/or nerve damage. Dislodgement of SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat could possibly occur by means such as repacking, further intraoperative manipulation, lavage, exaggerated respiration, etc. There have been reports that in procedures such as lobectomy, laminectomy and repair of a frontal skull fracture and lacerated lobe that SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat, when left in the patient after closure, migrated from the site of application into foramina in bone around the spinal cord resulting in paralysis and, in another case, the left orbit of the eye, causing blindness. While these reports cannot be confirmed, special care must be taken by physicians, regardless of the type of surgical procedure, to consider the advisability of removing SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat after hemostasis is achieved. 
• Although SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat is bactericidal against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms, it is not intended as a substitute for systemically administered therapeutic or prophylactic antimicrobial agents to control or prevent post-operative infections. 

PRECAUTIONS

• Use only as much SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat as is necessary for hemostasis, holding it firmly in place until bleeding stops. Remove any excess before surgical closure in order to facilitate absorption and minimize the possibility of foreign body reaction, such as encapsulation of the product, which may mimic artifacts on radiographic images, resulting in diagnostic errors and possible reoperation. 
• In urological procedures, minimal amounts of SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat should be used and care must be exercised to prevent plugging of the urethra, ureter, or a catheter by dislodged portions of the product.  
• Since absorption of SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat could be prevented in chemically cauterized areas, its use should not be preceded by application of silver nitrate or any other escharotic chemicals. 
• If SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat is used temporarily to line the cavity of large open wounds, it should be placed so as not to overlap the skin edges. It should also be removed from open wounds by forceps or by irrigation with sterile water or saline solution after bleeding has stopped. 
• Precautions should be taken in otorhinolaryngologic surgery to ensure that none of the material is aspirated by the patient.  (Examples: controlling hemorrhage after tonsillectomy and controlling epistaxis.) 
• Care should be taken not to apply SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat too tightly when it is used as a wrap during vascular surgery (see Adverse Reactions section of the complete product package insert). 

ADVERSE EVENTS

• Paralysis and nerve damage have been reported when SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat was used around, in, or in proximity to foramina in bone, areas of bony confine, the spinal cord, and/or the optic nerve and chiasm.  
• Blindness has been reported in connection with surgical repair of a lacerated left frontal lobe when SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat was placed in the anterior cranial fossa 
• “Encapsulation” of fluid and foreign body reactions have been reported. 
• Burning has been reported when SURGICEL products were applied after nasal polyp removal. Headache, burning, stinging, and sneezing in epistaxis and other rhinological procedures, and stinging when SURGICEL product was applied on surface wounds (varicose ulcerations, dermabrasions, and donor sites) have also been reported. 
• There have been reports of stenotic effect when SURGICEL Absorbable Hemostat has been applied as a wrap during vascular surgery.  
• Possible prolongation of drainage in cholecystectomies and difficulty passing urine per urethra after prostatectomy have been reported.  

For more information, please consult your doctor or for product quality and technical questions, call 1-800-795-0012.  For complete product information including indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and adverse reactions, please reference the individual product package inserts. 

063768-211105