In various aspects, methods and systems in accordance with the present teachings are provided that enable the tamponade of an internal hemorrhage site that can potentially occur during a closed, minimally invasive surgical procedure. In the unfortunate instance that an acute hemorrhage requires unscheduled conversion to an open surgery, the exemplary methods and systems described herein can enable the surgeon to prevent excessive blood loss from the hemorrhaged vessel during the conversion or repair process. Whereas in open surgeries hemorrhage is typically provided by a gauze sponge held by a set of ringed clamps (e.g., a sponge stick), the small diameter access ports through trocars used in minimally invasive surgeries can make it difficult to deliver sufficient gauze or other absorptive material to properly, temporarily occlude the hemorrhaged vessel. Moreover, because placing a clamp around the bleeding vessel (e.g., with the laparoscopic/robotic surgical tools present at the surgical site) can be dangerous due to poor visibility and the lack of isolation of the vessel, devices in accordance with the present teachings can be placed in compression with the hemorrhage site to slow blood loss during the conversion to an open surgery.
