Hemostatic wound dressings and methods of making same

A process for making a wound dressing for use with moderate to severe bleeding, the wound dressing comprising a fabric substrate that comprises oxidized regenerated cellulose fibers and from about 8 to about to about 20 percent by weight of water-soluble oligosaccharides;

• and a biocompatible, water-soluble or water-swellable polymer matrix of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, the process consisting of the steps of:
• providing a solution having dissolved therein sodium carboxymethyl cellulose,
• providing a fabric substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposing said first surface, said fabric substrate having flexibility, strength and porosity effective for use as a hemostat, said fabric substrate comprising a carboxylic-oxidized cellulose fibers and from about 8 to about 20 percent by weight of water-soluble oligosaccharides,
• contacting said solution with said fabric substrate under conditions effective to substantially homogeneously distribute said solution on said first and second surfaces and through said fabric substrate,
• lyophilizing said fabric substrate with said solution distributed there through, thereby forming a porous, polymeric matrix having a microporous structure.