..to prevent vascular bleeding cf.
Perclose, Inc. of Menlo Park, Calif. has recently disclosed a percutaneous
vascular closure device which it designates by the trademark PROSTAR. The
PROSTAR device is arranged to be inserted through a percutaneous puncture
into a artery to seal the opening in the arterial wall. To that end the
PROSTAR device inserts plural needles having sutures secured thereto
through the percutaneous puncture and into the interior of the artery. The
needles are then drawn from the interior of the artery through the
arterial wall portion surrounding the puncture and out through the
puncture tract, where they are grasped to pull the associated sutures out
of the puncture tract. The extending portions of the sutures are knotted
within the puncture tract and the knots are pushed into the tract by an
associated device, designated as the PROSTAR knot pusher, so that the
knots are closely adjacent or abutting the exterior of the artery wall..
This action ostensibly seals the opening in the artery wall.

It is believed that there may be some blood seepage out of the puncture
tract when using the PROSTAR system.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,827, assigned to Kensey Nash Corporation, the
assignee of this invention, there is disclosed and claimed a closure
device for sealing percutaneous arterial punctures. The closure of that
patent, which is designated by the trademark HPCD, basically comprise a
rigid anchor, a compressed collagen plug, and a thin filament connecting
the two in a pulley-like arrangement. The HPCD closure is positioned
within the percutaneous puncture by a deployment instrument which is
extended through an introducer sheath. The deployment instrument includes
a carrier to eject the anchor through the puncture. The anchor is then
drawn against the free end of the introducer. The instrument and
introducer are then withdrawn together to pull the anchor against the
tissue contiguous with the puncture inside the artery. Further withdrawal
draws the plug out of the carrier into the puncture tract, whereupon the
plug moves with respect to the anchor into engagement with tissue in the
puncture tract outside of artery wall to seal the puncture or incision. A
tensioning device limits the force applied to the filament. The carrier
also includes a tamper which is used to mechanically deform the plug
within the tract. Once positioned hemostasis occurs rapidly, e.g., blood
clots within the collagen plug, thereby locking the closure in place.

solubility enhancement ragent