QuikClot

QuikClot is a brand of hemostatic wound dressing that contains an agent that promotes blood clotting. The brand is owned by Teleflex.^[1] It is primarily used by militaries and law enforcement to treat hemorrhaging from trauma.

The use of a sterilized molecular sieve material, such as zeolite, in a binding material to treat wounds was patented by Frank Hursey in 1989.^[2] Following the September 11 attacks, the US armed forces conducted a study comparing different antihemorrhagic technologies, in which QuikClot received the best score.^[3] Another study found that when used to treat lethal groin injuries in swine, the treated animals had a 100% survival rate.^[4] Following these tests, the US armed forces approved its use in Afghanistan and Iraq.^{[citation needed]}

The original formulation of the product contained the active ingredient zeolite, which promoted blood clotting. The zeolite would have an exothermic (heat-releasing) reaction with blood during the clotting process, which could cause second-degree burns.^[5] Because of this, the product was not available for retail and was only used in emergency scenarios, such as in combat. Newer zeolite formulas come pre-hydrated, which produce less heat, and can be used more safely to pack wounds and stop hemorrhage.^{[citation needed]}

By 2009, QuikClot devices were made of gauze impregnated with kaolin instead of using zeolite. The kaolin device performed equivalently to previously developed hemostatic bandages.^[6] Kaolin doesn't trigger skin allergies due to its inert (nonreactive) characteristics.^[7]

QuikClot was originally available as a granulate to be poured directly on a wound to stem bleeding.^{[citation needed]}

The Kaolin in QuikClot Interventional bandages absorb the water molecules in blood, leaving behind the relatively bigger platelets and clotting factor molecules. The higher concentration of these remaining cells and molecules cause them to naturally clot faster.^[8] Kaolin activates factor XII, a protein factor which assists in the initiation of the coagulation cascade, a protein chain reaction which promotes blood clotting as a result of trauma. Later, QuikClot was formulated using zeolite beads, which promoted clotting directly through activation of the coagulation cascade.^[9]

In the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Guidelines published by the CoTCCC (Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care) in 2014, QuikClot Combat Gauze was listed as the ideal hemostatic dressing to be used for external hemorrhage not amenable to tourniquet use or as an adjunct to tourniquet removal if evacuation time is anticipated to be longer than 2 hours.^[10] In the TCCC Guidelines published in 2021, Combat Gauze remained the choice hemostatic dressing for such an injury.^[11] The challenges faced by the founders of QuickClot in getting it accepted by the military, especially the Army, were chronicled by Charles Barber in his book In the Blood: How Two Outsiders Solved a Centuries-Old Medical Mystery and took on the U.S. Army.