When
faced with treating life-threatening bleeding, military medics have
turned to hemostatic agents for years. In conjunction with direct
pressure, they stop bleeding in places where tourniquets cannot be used,
especially the head, neck, abdomen and pelvic area. Celox and Quikclot
have been around for years; X-Gauze is the new kid on the block.
While
initially designed for military use, all three products are available
to civilians without restriction. Celox and Quikclot can be found in
stores and online, but for X-Gauze, you've got to go to their website.
These
clotting agents are sold as granules, z-pack gauze, and sponges. The
granules are poured onto or into a wound. But if that wound is still
spurting blood, the granules are going to be washed away. The clotting
agent must be exactly where the blood is coming from to be of any use.
Z-pack
gauze is favored for most applications. The gauze is impregnated with
the clotting agent and can be packed very tightly against an internal
wound. The clotting agent cannot be washed away. And the medic using
this product does not have to bother with packing the wound while
simultaneously sprinkling in the clotting agent.
All three products differ in their mechanism of action. QuikClot uses
kaolin, a natural clotting agent that accelerates the body's natural
clotting abilities. When used in conjunction with direct pressure, it
stops life-threatening bleeding within five minutes. It has a five-year
shelf-life from the date of manufacture. QuikClot and the kaolin and
gauze must be completely removed from the body before the wound is
closed.
Celox uses
chitosan, a clotting agent derived from shrimp. Throughout extensive
clinical trials and field use, there have been no reports of any
allergic reactions, even among individuals allergic to shellfish or
iodine. Like QuikClot, Celox stops severe bleeding within five minutes
when used together with direct pressure. Unlike the kaolin in Quikclot,
the chitosan in Celox can be broken down by the body. So while it should
be thoroughly washed away before the wound is closed, chitosan is less
likely to cause a problem if small amounts are not removed. Celox
granules have a four-year shelf-life. Like QuikClot, Celox gauze has a
five-year shelf-life from the date of manufacture.
Both
of these products work to clot blood even in patients taking blood
thinners, as well as in cases where hypothermia is an issue.
X-Gauze,
in contrast, does not use a hemostatic clotting agent. Instead, it is
gauze impregnated with miniature sponges that expand to ten times their
size on contact with fluids to stop bleeding by direct pressure. It is
ideal in that it conforms to the wound perfectly and exerts pressure
everywhere. As of this writing, it is not available on Amazon; you have
to go to their website. Because it is new, it does not have extensive
field testing, but clinical trials have shown that it is a very
promising technology. Unfortunately, at $50 each, they're a little
expensive right now.
It
must be emphasized that none of these clotting agents substitute for
direct pressure. Direct pressure will stop the vast majority of bleeding
within thirty minutes. If direct pressure fails to stop bleeding after
thirty minutes (without peeking every five minutes to check, which may
interrupt any clotting that started), then a clotting agent and/or
tourniquet may be required.
Bleeding
Tourniquets
For further reading:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5742/31fb7a3bb1fa973113958a9de48a4a6a8f9b.pdf
https://www.celoxmedical.com/eur/eurfaq/
https://quikclot.com/QuikClot/Clinical-Evidence
https://www.revmedx.com/xgauze/
14 january 2020
Snip: Cayenne is a Hemostat, arresting the flow of blood from a cut or wound in seconds and a cardiac tonic, helping to rebuild the heart. And cayenne is a Stomachic, helping to digest foods and a Carminative, helping to expel gas.
ReplyDeleteI cannot grow those other hemostats, but I can grow peppers for spices and health :-)
Love cayenne. Got a post or two on it here. Cayenne tincture has quite a bit of anecdotal evidence showing it helps stop/reverse heart attacks and strokes. I carry a small bottle of the tincture in my bag.
DeletePlain black pepper works on wounds. I'm not sure what it would do for a major or deep wound. I have used it on smaller wounds. It causes clotting in seconds. Don't believe me, the next time you get a small cut dump some on it. You'll become a believer!
ReplyDeleteI'll give it a try.
DeleteSeraSeal™ is the World’s ONLY Primary Hemostatic Agent, that stops major hemorrhages in seconds.
ReplyDeleteSeraSeal™ represents a new generation of medical device, in the form of technology which improves surgical efficiency, reduces cost and dramatically impacts patient outcomes. It is time, both ethically and economically, to usher in this new method of patient care from the outset of injury through the path of surgery and post-op care. SeraSeal™ represents a new generation of a haemostatic product, designed to arrest the bleed within seconds, and it is effective in all forms of coagulopathy, due to anticoagulant medications, platelet inhibitors, and factor deficiency.
To clarify your doubts and clear your misconceptions about the how this hemostatic agent can change the world for the better and save millions of life; click on the link below.
(http://seraseal.in/?utm_medium=SeraSealSubmission&utm_source=blogger&utm_campaign=SeraSealsubmission)
However, if you happen to be carrying this around and you have medical professional assisting with the bleed, please mention you have it to start with, not after 30 minutes of trying!
ReplyDelete