TRAUMAGEL’s trial run has already seen success, with the gel controlling bleeding every time it has been used this month. 

It was used six times in accidents ranging from gunshot wounds to car accidents. 

Orangeburg EMS Training Captain Jeff Elian said he had no idea it would make such a difference. 

“We no longer have to put our fingers inside wounds. We don’t have to expose ourselves to broken bones or any type of foreign debris,” he said. 

TRAUMAGEL is a plant-based, biodegradable gel made from algae. When put into a wound, it works with the body to trigger its clotting response. 

Joe Landoline invented the product when he was just a teenager. 

He was trying to create cartilage, but instead found himself with a substance that was extremely sticky. 

“I thought, ‘What if you could use that to inject it into a bullet wound and at least stabilize the patient?’” he said. 

Landoline created TRAUMAGEL years later. 

The gel can stop bleeding in as little as 30 seconds. 

When paramedics normally respond to a call, binding a wound can take two to three minutes and requires them to put their fingers inside wounds repeatedly. 

The gel was first used on Aug. 27, when volunteer firefighter Casey Bolin cut his hand on a miter saw. 

Using TRAUMAGEL to control his bleeding led to paramedics removing a tourniquet he had on his arm. 

“Which is something we don’t do,” Elian said. “Historically, once a tourniquet is on, it’s on. It stays on.” 

Orangeburg will continue to use TRAUMAGEL until March. Afterwards, Elian will present the success data to other EMS stations across South Carolina.