Background: In 2005, the Office of the Surgeon General mandated that every soldier carry a HemCon bandage. Made from chitosan, a polysaccharide derived from shrimp shells, this bandage effectively stops bleeding. There are no studies reporting the safety of this bandage in shellfish allergic patients.
Methods: Patients who reported shellfish allergy were recruited. Initial assessment included a detailed history, IgE skin prick testing (SPT), and serum testing to shellfish allergens. Participants who demonstrated specific shellfish IgE underwent a bandage challenge.
Results: Nineteen participants were enrolled; 10 completed the study. Seven (70%) were male and the average age was 44.8 + 10 years. Nine (90%) reported a shrimp allergy history and five (50%) reported multiple shellfish allergies. All participants completing the study had positive SPT and serum IgE testing to at least one shellfish; eight (80%) had shrimp positive SPT and ten (100%) demonstrated shrimp-specific IgE. No participant had a positive SPT to chitosan powder or experienced an adverse reaction during bandage challenges. No protein bands were visualized during gel electrophoresis analysis of chitosan powder.
Conclusion: All participants tolerated the HemCon bandage without reaction. This is the first study demonstrating the safety of this bandage in shellfish allergic subjects.