(Context: I'm a non-Muslim final-year medical student)
In surgery, we sometimes use a product called Spongostan (among other brand names). It is a spongy pad made of chemically altered porcine gelatin, and we apply it to encourage coagulation and thereby stop bleeding.
Normally, it is left in the surgical site and is naturally absorbed by the body as the wound heals.
(There are other products like meshes, small cylindrical "plugs" and so on which use the same substance for similar purposes).
Most of the time, it's used in emergency cases as a life-saving measure, when there are no alternatives available to us, which by my understanding makes it allowable for use by Muslims.
My questions are:
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Is my above assumption (that it is acceptable to use it in an emergency) accurate? If not, why not?
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What principles apply when there is time to speak to the patient before the procedure? Should we speak to them about the use of the product if we think it may be necessary? What principles would they be expected to apply when making a decision?
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How far should we go in trying to avoid its use in Muslim patients? This is a difficult question for me, because while there are sometimes other ways to stop bleeding, if we try those methods, there is a chance that we will wait until it is too late for the Spongostan to be effective, thus potentially putting the patient's life at risk.
Thank you in advance for your insight.
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