Control of bleeding in endoscopic sinus surgery: use of a novel gelatin-based hemostatic agent.

Objective To determine whether FloSeal Matrix Hemostatic Sealant is a safe and effective means of controlling bleeding post-endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and to assess postoperative healing. Design Prospective clinical study. Setting University of Toronto. Methods Eighteen patients with FloSeal placed on a total of 30 operative sites post-ESS. Time to cessation of bleeding was assessed intraoperatively. Patients had the operative sites assessed at 30 days postoperatively. Main outcome measures Effectiveness of FloSeal in controlling bleeding and aiding in healing of the operative site. Results FloSeal adequately controls postoperative bleeding in patients post-ESS. Healing was also not adversely affected. Conclusions FloSeal is a safe and effective treatment for controlling blood loss after EES. It may also provide support to the middle meatus as well as improve healing of the operative site compared with the use of traditional nasal packing. However, randomized clinical trials are needed to further evaluate this.