OBJECTIVES Hemostatic agents (HAs) are efficacious in reducing blood loss during surgery, which may impact post-operative healthcare utilization and length of stay (LOS). The purpose of this study was to compare expected and actual LOS by choice of HA in cardiac procedures. METHODS Hospital data were extracted from a large U.S. hospital-based, service-level comparative database. Procedures conducted between 2003 and 2006 were identified using principal ICD-9 codes and limited by Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs). Four cohorts for comparison were Floseal, Surgicel+thrombin, Gelfoam+thrombin, and other. Expected LOS was derived using 2006 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) geometric mean LOS by DRG and two-part regression models were created to assess outcome. RESULTS A total of 36,950 discharges were included. Floseal use was associated with significantly less likelihood of exceeding the expected LOS compared to baseline (OR = 0.791, p <0.01). Among patients who did exceed the expected LOS, Floseal patients did so at a reduced rate (IRR = 0.891, p <0.01). Surgical use was not associated with any significant difference from baseline, while Gelfoam use showed a slightly higher associated likelihood of exceeding expected LOS (OR = 1.099, p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS Floseal use was associated with lower than expected LOS in cardiac surgery. Given small profit margins achieved by hospitals today, further assessment is warranted to distinguish products with favorable outcomes.