hemostatic /-stat″ik/ [Gk, haima + stasis, halting] , pertaining to a procedure, device, or substance that arrests the flow of blood. Direct pressure, tourniquets, and surgical clamps are mechanical hemostatic measures. Cold applications, including the use of an ice bag on the abdomen to halt uterine bleeding and irrigation of the stomach with an iced solution to check gastric bleeding, are hemostatic. Gelatin sponges, solutions of thrombin, and microfibrillar collagen, which cause the aggregation of platelets and the formation of clots, are used to arrest bleeding in surgical procedures. Aminocaproic acid is administered orally or intravenously in the treatment of excessive bleeding caused by systemic hyperfibrinolysis. Phytonadione (vitamin K1) is used in the prevention and treatment of hemorrhagic disease in newborns and the treatment of prothrombin deficiency induced by anticoagulants or other drugs. Also spelled haemostatic.
