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Good hemostasis in surgery can provide multiple advantages to the patient, surgical team, and health care facility. Active and passive hemostatic agents have been widely used for many years and have extensive history supporting effective and safe use in a wide variety of surgical procedures. The type of surgical procedure, type of bleeding, hemostatic agent availability, and patient characteristics will influence the choice of topical hemostatic agent that is used by the surgeon. By actively participating in the coagulation cascade, active topical hemostatic agents are more able to meet the criteria of an ideal hemostatic agent in cases of oozing blood and minor bleeding during surgical procedures. Active agents can be used alone or in combination with passive agents. Familiarity with the products used to achieve hemostasis and their preparation can facilitate optimal use by surgical teams.