II. Indications
- Control of bleeding from small wounds on skin or mucosa (e.g. Colposcopy biopsy)
III. Background
- One of the oldest Hemostatic Agents (described by Monsel in the 1850s)
IV. Mechanism
- Topical Hemostatic Agent
- Denatures and coagulates Proteins to form a membrane over small blood vessels
V. Technique
- Clean bleeding site and apply local pressure
- Insert cotton swab into Monsel's Solution and stir to mix
- Apply cotton swab to bleeding site
VI. Adverse Effects
- May cause discoloration of tissue to which it has been applied
VII. References
- Berry in Schrage (2013) Topical Hemostatic Agents, Medscape Emedicine
- Peralta in Sanfrey (2013) Overview of Topical Hemostatic Agents and tissues adhesives used in the operating room, UpToDate, Wolters-Kluwer
- Achneck (2010) Ann Surg 251(2):217-28 [PubMed]