Quick Clot

[Kentucky Cop]

Anyone here have any experience or info regarding CelArm Celox.

http://www.celoxmedical.com/

Our entire department was just issued Celox with a gunshot kit. After several reviews of all the offerings out there for the kit, we went and now issue Celox. After a 4 hour class on it along with graphic videos from over sea's and home, I am a fan.
It appears that the only difference with Celox and Quickclot is that Celox doesn't burn you and the Celox becomes so stable in the wound so the the doctors can just pull it out of the "hole" when you hit the ER. Also, we were told that Quckclot has to be washed out by surgeons. Celox is made out of several things along with what I think they said was some type of seashell mix which your body just absorbs eventually. I am just a street cop and havent a damn clue exactly whats in it so that was the best way to advise you what I learned in class My department is 650 strong and everyone got a kit.

You tube has some awesome videos of this stuff in action!
Ky Cop

[jaholder]

I got an honest question about QC...

I know that the military is well versed in using QC and other methods of chemically stopping massive bleeding, but what about the civilian emergency medical community? Are the docs in the ED going to know how to handle this stuff being used if you use it say, after inadvertently blowing a hole in your leg quail hunting?

[Kentucky Cop]

I got an honest question about QC...

I know that the military is well versed in using QC and other methods of chemically stopping massive bleeding, but what about the civilian emergency medical community? Are the docs in the ED going to know how to handle this stuff being used if you use it say, after inadvertently blowing a hole in your leg quail hunting?

As for our city, the Police and Fire gods all sat down with the ER staff and Trauma surgeons to discuss us using this product. Apparently everyone now is on board with the Celox being out in the public safety community here. By the way, we have the number on trauma hospital in the state. Tons of air medical helicopters are always seen making their approach...

[AZwildcat]

I got an honest question about QC...

I know that the military is well versed in using QC and other methods of chemically stopping massive bleeding, but what about the civilian emergency medical community? Are the docs in the ED going to know how to handle this stuff being used if you use it say, after inadvertently blowing a hole in your leg quail hunting?

There is very little that the docs would have to know about "handling" Quikclot. The latest generation of the product does not have any of the exothermic problems the first generation caused. There is no "burning" issue. Quikclot now comes in a gauze or sponge formulation and is impregnated with kaolin which is a clay-like substance. It has no heat involved. The kaolin triggers the clotting cascade by activating factor XII and factor XI of the clotting cascade. The first generation Quikclot, which was in powder form, causes clotting by removing the water from the blood which generated the "heat".

If you go to Z-Medica.com and Quikclot.com, you can see some videos which uses both products. There is still a call for the first generation product, which, if the area around the wound is wiped dry, does not burn the skin of the patient. It is very effective. The new gauze and sponge products are also very effective and are in demand by both the military and civilian first response community. I keep it at home for emergency use and have had occasion to need it on a couple of occasions. It is very effective, even when used on someone who has Coumadin in their blood. No mess, no fuss, it just stops the bleeding.

[AZwildcat]

I was under the impression that the newer variations made with chitosan didn't have the chemical burn issues. Was I told wrong?

The original Quikclot was in a granular form which had an exothermic reaction with water. That is what caused the burning issues that some have experienced. It worked by literally removing the water from blood which left the clot to stop the bleeding. It is still being used for some injuries.

The new formulation is a completely different formulation with a different ingredient that has no "heating" properties. That ingredient is kaolin, which is a clay-like substance that activates clotting factors 12 and 11 and that starts the body's own clotting cascade. It is in gauze or sponge form and the kaolin is impregnated into the gauze. It is just as effective as the old formulation with none of the issues that were of concern with the granular product.

It is now available for over the counter purchase as well as on-line. I've seen it at Kroger's supermarket and a "google-search" will give you a number of sites that carrry it. I have purchased mine at quikclot.com.

I have used both the granular product and the gauze to stop major bleeds with a person who uses blood thinners. They have had some really serious problems with small cuts or scatches that bleed uncontrollably. The granular product worked very well and did not burn, but I cleaned the area around the wound very well before applying it. There is also some residue that has to be cleaned away after the bleeding is stopped. The gauze product is much simpler to use. You just tear open the package and press and hold the gauze into the wound. It has never failed to stop the bleeding and there is nothing to clean up afterward.

[Gutshot John]

I helped with some of the field tests/studies of early QuikClot powder and even then the exothermic reaction was apparent but the alternative of bleeding to death outweighed those concerns. With more modern alternatives like Combat Gauze (I really like the idea of the medium mixed with the bandage) and kaolin those aren't even a concern any more.

If there is nothing else available, use the QuikClot, if you're investing in new kit, then get something a bit more modern.

[AZwildcat]

You indicated that you favor "Combat Gauze" over Quikclot. The fact is that "Combat Gauze" is a newer version of Quikclot. They still make the powder product for certain uses, but have a large number of newer items that are gauze or sponge formated with kaolin as the clotting agent. The granulated product is zeolite based. While zeolite has exothermic reactions, kaolin does not. For most uses, the gauze products are the better choice as there is no problem with "heat".
I have used both of them and although the granular product worked very well, I prefer the gauze version of Quikclot because it is easier to use and does not have any burning risk.

[Gutshot John]

You indicated that you favor "Combat Gauze" over Quikclot. The fact is that "Combat Gauze" is a newer version of Quikclot.

Huh? Yes I know. Why I said.

I really like the idea of the medium mixed with the bandage

although the granular product worked very well, I prefer the gauze version of Quikclot because it is easier to use and does not have any burning risk.

Funny that's exactly what I thought I said.

[GKoenig]

So which is preferable? Powder of gauze?

Powder seems like a PITA. Even with a hemostatic agent, your gonna want to pack a wound and apply a proper compression dressing. The gauze seems like it adds nothing to the treatment protocol as far as process is involved, and that seems like a win.

Are there downsides to the gauze versus the powder that I am not seeing?

[AZwildcat]

I pulled the following article off the internet. The newest version of Quikclot is safe and easy to use. Now recognized by the U.S. Army Material Command.



Wallingford gauze maker a lifesaver
Published: Tuesday, November 3, 2009

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By Angela Carter, Register Staff

WALLINGFORD — A town-based company recognized by the military for creating a gauze that stems life-threatening blood loss is rapidly working to expand its workforce and broaden the product’s availability to civilians.

The U.S. Army Materiel Command earlier this fall named Z-Medica Corp.’s Quikclot Combat Gauze as one of the “Top Ten Greatest Inventions of 2008.”

When traditional gauze is applied to a wound, it can take more than 15 minutes for a blood clot to begin to form, which is ample time for a wounded person to die.

Z-Medica Chief Executive Officer Brian Herman said Monday Quikclot reduces those precious minutes to two to five. The gauze was selected by the military’s Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care to be carried by all active-duty U.S. soldiers.

Z-Medica was co-founded by scientist and former NASA team engineer Francis X. Hursey in 2002.

In its earliest form, Quikclot was packaged as small granules that would be poured over wounds to speed up clotting.The second-generation product was manufactured in units that resemble bean bags.

In 2004, research teams from the Office of Naval Research, Z-Medica and Galen Stucky, the E. Khashoggi Industries LLC Professor in Letters and Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, worked to improve the product, which had the potential to cause second-degree burns around a wound.

Herman said the company embarked on developing a product that was fast-working, safe (no side effects), easy to use (no training required) and inexpensive.

“The most important aspect of this work is the thought that it is providing life support that is needed on an immediate-response basis to both military and civilian personnel. For those who knowingly are in harm’s way, it is particularly important,” Stucky said in a statement.

Researchers found that an inert mineral called kaolin, which would eliminate burns and did not contain animal or human proteins that could trigger adverse reactions, could be infused into gauze.

“It met our four criteria,” Herman said.

In addition to military applications, Quikclot is used by emergency responders, law enforcement and hospitals.

“We always say: from the battlefield to the hospital to the home. Our ultimate goal is to make every civilian their own first responder,” Herman said.