Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services is now armed with a life-saving tool that’s changing emergency care: TraumaGel.
The department was one of just six agencies nationwide to take part in clinical trials for the gel, which can stop bleeding in seconds when applied to a wound.
In emergency medicine, every second counts — and Cobb officials say TraumaGel is a game-changer. It forms a rapid seal over moderate to severe bleeding, often faster than gauze, pressure, or other standard methods.
Half of Cobb’s fire stations are now equipped with the gel, which received FDA clearance earlier this year. Since adopting it in April, the department has used it 17 times — saving 16 lives, including victims of gunshots, stabbings, and head wounds complicated by blood thinners.
In one case, the gel was even used to treat a firefighter who suffered a deep hand laceration on the job — the first time TraumaGel was used on a first responder.
On Monday, the company behind the product honored two firefighters who used the gel during that emergency.
“Bleeding control has always been the hardest thing for any of us out here, particularly when you’re talking about people that have any type of cuts in the neck, armpits, or especially up in the groin,” said Lt. David Kleiman with Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services EMS Training Division. “I push the syringe and just light palm or pressure, and the bleeding is stopped.”
The CEO of Cresilon, the company behind the gel, presented two firefighters with a challenge coin to honor them for saving the other firefighter with the deep hand cut.
“It’s important to mark these moments and to honor the people who are actually out there saving lives,” said Joe Landolina, Cresilon CEO and co-founder. “We just create the tools, it’s the paramedics and the EMTs that actually save the life with the product that we’re doing.”
Watch the clip below:
