Patent ID: 8313474

Claim:
A method comprising providing an aqueous solution including a hydrophilic polymer comprising polyacrylic acid; placing the aqueous solution in a mold; freezing said aqueous solution within the mold by cooling the mold and aqueous solution according to prescribed conditions to form a frozen polyacrylic acid structure within the mold; removing water from the frozen polyacrylic acid structure by a prescribed freeze-drying process to form a sponge-like polyacrylic acid structure having a thickness and a density; compressing the sponge-like polyacrylic acid structure by the application of heat and pressure to reduce the thickness and increase the density of the sponge-like polyacrylic acid structure to form a densified polyacrylic acid structure; preconditioning the densified polyacrylic acid structure by heating the densified polyacrylic acid structure according to prescribed conditions to form a wound dressing, and applying the wound dressing to control severe, life-threatening bleeding from a wound at a wound site of a person.