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QuikClot: Keeping the Blood and Staying Alive
Every
year more than 50,000 civilians in the U.S. alone die from exsanguinations or
the excessive loss of blood due to traumatic injuries from countless accidents
and dangerous events. Every year, security agents and police units suffer the
same fate due to gun shot wounds and each time war troops are deployed to the
battlefield, countless soldiers’ families mourn countless deaths.
Who
is the culprit? Though legitimately accountable, enemy troops, terrorists,
dangerous devices and places will hardly appear in a dead person’s death
certificate. Most of the time, the certificates would spell: hemorrhage,
loss of blood, and exsanguinations which can be prevented with the right tools
used by the right hands. Imagine the numerous deaths that could have not
been. Imagine a huge dive in the population’s mortality rate.
Imagine no more.
What is QuikClot?
Aside
from tourniquets, an innovation on blood-clotting technology was introduced by
the Z-Medica Corporation. A 100% effective hemostatic agent, when it
comes to survival rates, QuikClot comes in rough and durable packages that are
guaranteed to withstand even the most turbulent of environments such as those
of the battlefield. Inside the package is a solution composed of inert
chemical elements that can be directly applied to the wound and could instantly
stop the bleeding. As a fairly new product, QuikClot also needed to
undergo some necessary modifications. Its first version, though still 100% safe
to be applied to any wound posed some danger to the applier’s (especially
negligent ones) hands who forget to apply pressure towels above the product. To
remedy the inadequacy and problems with the prototype, Z-Medica eventually came
up with two other versions: the QuikClot 1st Response and the QuikClot
ACS+ (Advanced Clotting Sponge) both of which are safe with hand
contact. The ingenuity lies in the concentration of nano-particles
that, when applied to the wound mobilizes coagulation and promotes hemostasis
forming a stable clot that instantly halts the bleeding.
How To Use the
QuikClot
The
QuikClot can be used by anyone whether he or she is a trained paramedic or
physician, a bystander, or even the victim. The product can be directly applied
to the bleeding wound. Manufacturers advise to remove excess blood that covers
the wound prior to the application of the product. Most QuikClot packages
contain 3.5 ounces of the solution and can be used in different-sized
wounds. The key to using QuikClot is to pour it slowly over the wound
until it sheathes the affected area. The QuikClot can be left on the
wound until further medical assistance can be provided for.
The
QuikClot is easy to store and can withstand low and moderately-high (providing
it does not sit under direct sunlight) temperatures and can last as long as 3
years if unopened.
When and where has
QuikClot been used?
QuikClot
has been used by the U.S. military since the war in Afghanistan and when it
gained popularity and support in recent years, was also utilized as a medical
aid for troops deployed during the war with Iraq. Upon passing U.S.
Marine trials, the U.S. Marine Corps eventually subscribed to the use of
QuikClot particularly after the September 11 terrorist attack. Since
then, other civilian agencies in the U.S. especially the homeland security
agencies (CIA, FBI, and APF) began to incorporate the product in every first
aid medical kit (The U.S. Marine deploys its troops with individual first aid
kits, IFAK, complete with QuikClot units.).
Z-Medica’s
QuikClot products are also readily accessible over the counter in drugstores,
hunting and camping equipment stores, and sports stores in different parts of
the U.S.
Article Source: EMS - EveryMinuteSucks.com
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