New Bandages Clot Wounds Instantly

[Guest]

From Slashdot:

dwbryson writes "A new bandage technology uses ground up shrimp shells to instantly clot blood when applied to an open wound. These new bandages were developed and are being produced exclusively for the military (at $100 for a 4x4" square), but the company who makes them is hoping to mass market them to general consumers."

The full article is below:

http://www.sciencentral.com/articles/view....8391915&cat=2_4

This is the first thread I've started, feel free to move it if there is a more appropriate place for this topic.

[WAS967 97]

These kind of bandages have been on the market for a while and the companies that make them have been pushing to get them more mainstream than they have been. They have been used extensively in the Gulf during the war (I think just the current one as they seem too new to have been around for Desert Shield/Storm). There are many issues involved with them and they aren't exactly without thier drawbacks. The Head of CT State EMS who was a Trauma Surgeon for the Armed Forces in the Gulf has sworn they will never be used by any EMS unit in CT because of problems that have occured. I don't have specifics but will try to find more.

Obviously the one big question comes to mind: Shellfish are a major instigator of anaphalaxis. If you have a person down from major trauma and are unable to get a history and proceed to dump this shellfish deriviative into the wounds of a person with an unknown shellfish allergy, the consequences could be dire.

[Guest]

I know they had something called Quick-Clot I believe, I don't know about it.

I don't know what the cause of shellfish reactions are, but you raise a good point. However, chitosan is already used a dietary supplement (which in no way means it is safe), but I couldn't find any warnings about allergies in a quick Google/WebMD search. I couldn't find anything saying it was safe either.

[Skooter92 7]

Anybody thought of those who keep kosher?????!!!!

Sure, I may be bleeding, but violate me by dumping SHRIMP into my wounds......!

[Guest]

As far as I know health reasons trupm the kosher rules, so I don't think it would be a problem.

[Skooter92 7]

Jared....

RELAX!!!!!

You take this too seriously......

And the Israeli military is using the stuff, I believe.

Humor.

It's the newest thing.

Catch some, there, hominid, k?

[Guest]

Sorry, I thought it was a serious question. As it was a joke I will now respond with an appropriate smiley face: .

And yes, that was my attempt at a joke (the smiley face thing that is).

[mikeinet 37]

soem of you might blow the kosher thing off, but there are a lot of people that do feel that way... as we may all disagree with it and tell them that it'll save their lives... they don't want to break any rules.

i'd be more worried about the allergic rxns over anything about being kosher though.

[Guest]

Actually I had a similar conversation with some of my friends who are very religious jews about what happens if they had an implantable pig's heart (it is something that's being tossed around as an idea). The kosher rules only apply for something that you eat, not something on the skin or implanted, at least that was what they told me. Actually the person who I had this conversation with is an EMT in NJ.

[Guest mediconpatrol]

Quick-clot has been around for awhile now. I have never actually seen it used..and if you read the instructions on it, I am not sure I ever would. The removal process is a process that seems to take a lot of time. Sounds as if it might actually hinder care instead of help....

[MGMedic 0]

QuikClot uses a "non-allergenic, non-biological proprietary formula", so no worries about anaphylaxis. One of my partners is a Navy medic in the 4th Marine Division, used it when he was in Iraq and thinks the stuff is great. We have it secreted away in our trauma bag.

[ny10570 745]

The stuff made from shellfish derivative is made from chitosan. Chitosan is not was causes shellfish allergies and while it could exist, I've never heard of such an alergy.