FDA Approves Gel to Temporarily Stop Blood Flow

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved LeGoo, a gel that temporarily stops blood flow, according to a news release.

This gel allows surgeons to stop blood flow so they can join blood vessels without the use of clamps or elastic loops.

LeGoo works because it is temperature sensitive, becoming liquid at room temperature and solid at higher temperatures. When injected into a blood vessel, the higher temperature causes the gel to solidify, forming a plug that molds to the blood vessel and stops blood flow for up to 15 minutes. If the plug needs to be removed in less than 15 minutes, a cold pack or cold saline solution can be used.

The gel, manufactured by PluroMed Inc. of Woburn, Mass., is approved for use in blood vessels below the neck that are four millimeters or less in diameter. It is not approved for use in blood vessels supplying blood to the brain.

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