Patent ID: 7252837

Claim:
A process for making a wound dressing for use with moderate to severe bleeding, the wound dressing comprising a fabric that comprises oxidized regenerated cellulose fibers and a biocompatible, water-soluble or water-swellable polymer matrix of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, the process consisting of the steps of: providing a solution having dissolved therein sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, providing a fabric having a top surface and a bottom surface opposing said top surface, said fabric having flexibility, strength and porosity effective for use as a hemostat, immersing said fabric at least partially in said solution to distribute said solution at least partially through said fibers, lyophilizing said fabric and said solution distributed at least partially through said fibers, thereby forming a porous polymeric matrix at least partially integrated with or about the fibers having a microporous structure with a large fluid absorbing capacity.