QuikClot Frequently Asked Questions - Technical & How to use
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How does QuikClot work?
QuikClot works by providing a hemo-concentration effect in the blood that is exiting a wound. The body’s natural clotting process is accelerated by the increased concentration of platelets and clotting factors at the wound site.
What causes the hemo-concentration?
QuikClot’s main component material is called an adsorbent, it is actually a synthetic derivative of volcanic rock. It has many pores, internal and external, which capture and hold the water molecules that make up the majority of the blood. The ability to attract and hold the water molecules is due to electrostatic forces that are present in the pores of QuikClot material when it is dry and are liberated when the QuikClot is saturated. These are the same types of forces that cause static cling, but in the formulation of QuikClot, they are much stronger. Water molecules are held very strongly.
The clotting factors, proteins in the blood, and the cellular components of the blood are not attracted nor held by the QuikClot, because they are simply too big to fit in the pore structure of the QuikClot material. This leaves them free to do their work at the wound site.
Is there a chemical reaction involved?
No, the interaction of the QuikClot and the water in the blood (called adsorption) is purely physical in nature. Upon application, QuikClot rapidly attracts water molecules, and almost instantly the internal pores are filled. There are no chemical changes to the blood, the water, or the QuikClot. Since the reaction is physical, and not biological or chemical, there is almost no chance for an allergic reaction to occur.
Are there any side effects?
The adsorption of water into the QuikClot granules can cause an instantaneous release of heat, called an exothermic reaction. The release of heat stops when the pores of the QuikClot become filled, which due to QuikClot’s strong attraction for water, is only a second or two.
What causes the heat?
The heat is generated by a phenomenon called the Heat of Adsorption. The electrostatic charge in each pore of the QuikClot, which attracts the water molecules, is released when the pore is filled. This liberated energy is in the form of heat.
How much heat is generated?
There are many variables that affect the heat generated when QuikClot is used. It’s been our experience that the exothermic reaction with blood generates less heat than water alone. Under controlled experiment conditions, the highest temperature observed was 140 degrees F.
What care should be taken when using QuikClot?
Following the QuikClot package instructions avoids or minimizes the effects of exothermic reaction. It is important to use just enough QuikClot to stop the bleeding that is present. Dry QuikClot granules should be brushed away from the top of the wound area before applying irrigation solution. When removing QuikClot from a wound, the volume of water used to irrigate should always be larger than the volume of QuikClot. Flooding the QuikClot granules rather than slowly applying small streams of irrigation solution minimizes the heat produced.
Does QuikClot have FDA approval?
Yes, QuikClot received 510(k) clearance from FDA to market QuikClot over the counter (NON-prescriptive) in March of 2002. The 510(k) number is k013390, and you can view the FDA decision at the following website by plugging in the 510(k) number:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfPMN/pmn.cfm
Are QuikClot research studies available?
An unopened pack of QuikClot has a shelf life of three years. The only storage instruction is to not leave a pack of QuikClot in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. If you cover the pack, there is nothing to worry about. QuikClot is heated to 140°F to 155°F during the packaging process, and therefore can withstand high temperatures. QuikClot can also be stored in temperatures below freezing.
Can I save the unused portion and use it later?
No, once the package has been opened, the QuikClot granules start to adsorb the moisture from the air, thus rendering them useless. You can, however, treat more than one injured person, or multiple injuries on the same person with one pack of QuikClot.
How much do I need to use? Why is the packet 3.5 ounces?
A full packet of QuikClot is more than enough to treat a complete bisection of the femoral artery and vein. This was the testing performed by the U.S. Navy, and the reason that the military has deployed QuikClot with over 50,000 of our U.S. troops. The basic rule is to slowly pour QuikClot onto the wound until you see a layer of QuikClot on top of the injury. The packet is 3.5 ounces so that you are assured to have enough to treat any size wound. You can treat multiple wounds on multiple victims if the injuries are not as severe. We are thinking about packaging QuikClot in smaller quantities, but it will not change the cost of the product very much. Most of our cost comes from the packaging and sterilization process.
How long can I leave QuikClot in the wound, and how do I remove it?
Since QuikClot is inert after it has adsorbed the water in the blood, it is safe to leave in the wound for days if necessary. The clot formed is so strong that it is possible for a person to be moved and/or walk around during this period. QuikClot will not be absorbed by the body, but since it doesn’t change in shape, size or consistency, it is very easy for the attending medical personnel to irrigate and/or suction it out of the wound. QuikClot Frequently Asked Questions - General Questions
What is QuikClot™?
QuikClot™ is a breakthrough, patented product from the Newington, Connecticut-based firm Z-Medica that almost instantly stops high-volume bleeding from open wounds. Made of a granulated mineral substance, it is biologically and botanically inert, leaving little chance of allergic reaction. It represents a first-time-ever opportunity to save the lives of countless trauma victims around the world who would otherwise have bled to death before they could be moved to an operating room setting.
Prior to being brought to market, QuikClot was co-developed and tested by Z-Medica and the United States Navy and Marines. It is in use by ground troops in Afghanistan and Iraq where it has been confirmed to have saved numerous lives. QuikClot has also been included in the new Marine Corps individual first aid kit. In addition, United Nations Forces, the U.S. State Department, CIA, FBI, other friendly governments and first responders have purchased it across the country.
What is it about QuikClot that makes it a ‘breakthrough’?
Until QuikClot, there has never before been a product that stops massive bleeding outside of the operating room setting. Without QuikClot, the survival chances of a soldier wounded on the battlefield today are the same as they would have been for a soldier in the Civil War. QuikClot’s effectiveness was proven in extensive testing at the University of Connecticut, the U.S. Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, the Marine Corps Systems Command and the Office of Naval Research. In comparative studies with other hemostatic agents on the market, QuikClot was the only product to achieve a 100% survival rate!
QuikClot also breaks through the concept of who is a ‘first responder’ in terms of being able to provide meaningful medical assistance. For example, the police, who are usually the first ones at the scene of an automobile accident or violent crime, can do little more than call EMTs to the scene. Depressingly, they must often watch helplessly while badly injured victims bleed to death in front of them before help can arrive. Now they can apply QuikClot and save lives themselves while waiting for medical personnel. Similarly, on the battlefield, a wounded soldier himself, or his buddy, can administer QuikClot while waiting for a Medical Corpsman to reach them. Packaging allows for easy, one-handed opening and application.
Is QuikClot cleared by the Food & Drug Administration?
Not only does QuikClot have FDA pre-market clearance, but also, because QuikClot has been tested and proven to have the potential to save many lives, the FDA cleared QuikClot for general use within a few months. QuikClot received a second FDA clearance for an over the counter consumer version to treat cuts, scratches and abrasions.
How does QuikClot work?
Quite simply. QuikClot is an extremely ‘thirsty’ material derived from minerals. When poured directly into an open wound, the product acts like a molecular sieve, instantly taking in the smaller water molecules from the blood in and around the wound, leaving behind the larger platelet and clotting factor molecules in a concentrated form. This allows the blood to clot very quickly and prevents severe blood loss.
The process represents a new approach to hemostasis, which typically involves adding clotting factors rather than extracting elements to halt bleeding.
QuikClot helps create a stable, powerful clot, which stays firmly in place until it is removed in the field hospital or operating room setting.
Given its lifesaving capability is QuikClot very expensive?
In addition to its amazing life-saving track record in the laboratory and in actual battlefield use, QuikClot is extremely affordable. Z-Medica wants the product to be in every soldier’s pack, in every police, fire fighting, and EMT vehicle, in every factory and school and – in the not too distant future – in every home.
At a time that has seen drug costs and profits sky-rocket, the company has structured the QuikClot business in a way that tightly controls production costs and limits its margins to what is required to assure production and marketing at sufficient levels to save as many lives as possible. At the company’s current cost structure, a life-saving quantity of QuikClot retails for a little more than $20!!! Other hemostatic products that are far less effective at saving lives than QuikClot, according to the comparative testing, sell in the many hundreds to thousands of dollars per application.
How is QuikClot sold and where is it available?
Z-Medica sells to the military and security, EMS, first responder, veterinary and other markets either directly or through authorized dealers, such as AlphaNet.
Who discovered or invented QuikClot?
Z-Medica President Francis X. Hursey, a scientist, entrepreneur and humanitarian, discovered QuikClot accidentally in the late 1980s while experimenting with absorptive materials for another product he was developing. In an increasingly complex, high technology world, Hursey believes in looking for simple solutions to important problems – and he finds them.
One day he cut himself and applied some of the material that is now known as QuikClot to the cut. It stopped the bleeding instantly and he believed he might have discovered an important use of the material.
He developed and tested QuikClot on a shoestring budget, obtaining a patent. In 1997, Z-Medica partner and Vice President Bart Gullong joined Hursey in the effort to bring QuikClot to the world, taking on marketing, distribution and sales responsibilities.
The two men have dedicated themselves and the company to making a humanitarian difference. In addition to creating this life-saving product, Hursey and Gullong are committed to making QuikClot available at little or no cost to civilian populations threatened with accidental detonation of buried land mines.
Frank Hursey also founded Z-Medica’s sister company, On Site Gas Systems, which has a similar mission and also globally markets lifesaving products for use in remote locations that generate nitrogen and high purity oxygen from ambient air.
Are there other situations where QuikClot can help?
QuikClot can save the life of any living creature that bleeds. Z-Medica sees an important veterinary application of QuikClot. These markets include pet care, and veterinarian use for small and large animals.
I knew I saw it on a tv show. It was a cooking show not a home repair show. They said cayenne pepper would stop blood flow almost immediately. Good thing for a prep first aid kit.
Thanks for the great info.
