Absorbable Gelatin Sponge
Gelfoam · Surgifoam · Gelita-Spon · Gelatin Sponge · Gelfoam with Thrombin
A dry, white, porous sponge made from purified animal (porcine) gelatin, supplied sterile in flat squares or strips. It is cut into small pieces on the back table.
On the table
What it does, the lengths it comes in and what experienced techs know about it.
What it’s for
A mechanical hemostatichee-moh-STAT-ikStopping bleeding; also, a product or agent used to stop bleeding.hem/o blood-stasis stopping, standing still-ic relating toFull entry for oozing surfaces. It soaks up blood and gives the clot a framework to form on. It is cut to size and used dry, soaked in saline, or soaked in topical thrombinTHROM-binAn enzyme in the blood that turns fibrinogen into fibrin, the threads that hold a blood clot together.thromb/o clot-in substanceFull entry . Common in neuro, cardiac, orthopedicor-thuh-PEE-dikHaving to do with the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons, and the branch of medicine that treats them.orth/o straightped/o child (the field began with straightening children's bones)-ic relating toFull entry , ENT and general cases; in ear surgery tiny pledgets pack around a graftGRAFTTissue or a man-made material moved into place in surgery to replace or repair a damaged part.Full entry .
Lengths and variants
Sponges come in several numbered sizes (for example 12-7, 50, 100 and 200) and are usually cut into 1/4 to 1 inch pieces. Gelatin also comes as powder (made into a paste with saline) and as a film (Gelfilm).
What experienced techs know
What techs who reach for it every day know about it.Pro
Through the case
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Caution
What not to do with it, and why.Pro
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2 sources
- Howe. Pharmacology for the Surgical Technologist. 5th ed. Chapter 9 (Medications That Affect Coagulation), p. 118
- Fuller. Surgical Technology: Principles and Practice. 8th ed. Chapter 12 (Perioperative Pharmacology), p. 236-237
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