Kingston NY - Grant will buy agent that slows bleeding

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Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Grant will buy agent that slows bleeding

By Greg Marano

Poughkeepsie Journal

KINGSTON - The Ulster County Sheriff's Office will purchase an emergency blood-clotting agent with a $2,000 grant from the National Rifle Association.

The agent, Celox, is distributed in granule form. To stop excessive bleeding, the user pours it on the victim's wound, packs it in and applies pressure until the bleeding stops.

Sheriff's office Sgt. Perry Soul said he has ordered 133 packets of Celox, which will be carried in all 29 patrol cars in the department's fleet, as well as in specialized vehicles and the corrections department's 10 vehicles.

"Our officers respond if they're in the vicinity every day to medical emergencies," Soul said. "It can save someone's life."

Celox and similar products were first introduced for use by the military.

Directions on Celox packages - which measure 7.5 inches by 5 inches - instruct the user to apply pressure for a minimum of 5 minutes after pouring the granules into the wound. The package also instructs medical personnel to irrigate the product completely from the wound before starting normal wound treatment.

Soul said he expects the packets to be distributed within the next 60 days but only after paramedics from the Mobile Life ambulance corps provide brief training to the officers on how to apply it.

"It's become a lot more user-friendly ... where the common citizen can use it," Soul said. "But there are certain things you need to know about it."

For example, he said, people with shellfish allergies may have adverse reactions to Celox.

Reach Greg Marano at gmarano@poughkeepsiejournal.com or 845-437-4809.