A New Way to Stop Bleeding? Scientists Explore "Neural Tourniquet"
Researchers may have uncovered a revolutionary new way to control bleeding using the vagus nerve, a critical communication pathway in our bodies. This discovery could be a game-changer for minimizing blood loss during surgery.
The vagus nerve acts like a complex highway of information, carrying signals between the brain and various organs. Dr. Jared Hustin, a trauma surgeon at Northwell Health in New York, has spent nearly two decades investigating this nerve’s potential in controlling bleeding. His team found evidence suggesting that stimulating the vagus nerve could activate blood clotting mechanisms.
"Preventing a problem is always better than dealing with it after the fact," Hustin insists. He envisions a future where this technique could be used proactively before surgeries to reduce the risk of excessive bleeding, a complication that affects around 1.5% of surgical procedures.
Previously, surgeons relied on sutures, bandages, and tourniquets to control bleeding. A tourniquet is a device that applies pressure to a limb to temporarily stop blood flow.
Initial tests in mice and pigs proved promising, showing successful reduction in blood loss. Deeper research revealed that stimulating the vagus nerve activates specific immune cells, called T cells, within the spleen – an organ responsible for filtering blood. These activated T cells, in turn, trigger platelets in the spleen to initiate the blood clotting process.
In a recent study collaborating with a biomedical company, Five Liters, Dr. Huston’s team tested this concept in human volunteers by stimulating the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, located behind the ear.
Discovery: “Higher levels of platelet activation markers were found in participants’ blood after the nerve stimulation,” revealing for the first time that the “neural tourniquet pathway” exists in humans and can be activated externally.
"Ultimately, measurements of bleeding times, bleeding volumes, and patient outcomes will be key" in demonstrating the clinical effectiveness of vagus nerve stimulation, explains Peder Olofsson, a bioelectronic medicine expert at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
While these findings pave the way for future research, Dr. Hustin acknowledges that further trials are needed, particularly those that assess the technique’s effectiveness in actual clinical settings with patients experiencing bleeding.
Huffin remains optimistic, emphasizing that vagus nerve stimulation is already used to treat epilepsy and depression without considerable side effects.
"Remember, we administer antibiotics to prevent infections during surgery and pain medications preemptively,” said Dr. Hustin. "This,” he concludes, "could be a crucial tool to prevent bleeding ahead of time.”
