After the start of the latest Iraqi conflict some three years ago, I told you about the one of the newer and most effective technologies developed by Oregon-based HemCon to stanch bleeding and promote clotting: A bandage made with chitosan, a natural protein found in shrimp shells. Evidently, this natural product is working well: The U.S. Army plans to issue a bandage to every soldier serving in Afghanistan and Iraq and five to medics, amounting to at least 180,000.

About the size of a square coaster, the bandage not only creates a seal to stop bleeding, it promotes clotting (by producing a positive charge attracting blood cells and platelets that carry a negative charge), has antibacterial properties and, unlike other wound treatments, it doesn't burn healthy skin.

With its success on the battlefield firmly established, Hemcon is looking to penetrate consumer markets. The only negative about this natural technology that may slow down its acceptance among stateside health professionals: These bandages aren't cheap. The retail price for a 4-inch square dressing is $125, although there are cheaper versions available ($25 for a bandage half that size).

These bandages are already paying dividends, thanks to HemCon's recent donations to local EMTs, particularly for seniors taking anticoagulant drugs and being far more prone to wounds that require even more expensive transfusions.

CNNMoney.com September 22, 2006