After three patents and ten years of testing and development in universities, hospitals, the U.S. Marine Warfighting Lab, the Marine Corps Systems Command, and the Office of Naval Research, QuikClot is now ready for prime time. It is a granulated material packaged for individual use that can be poured directly into a profusely bleeding wound to effect coagulation within seconds. Tests conducted for ONR by Dr. Hasan B. Alam at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences were so impressive that the FDA cleared the product earlier this month. Acquisition by the Marine Corps seems imminent, and there is also interest in the product at Joint Staff, Army and Special Forces. The product is already on the ground with U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
The exact nature of QuikClot is proprietary, says Bart Gullong of Z-Medica in Newington, CT, makers of the product (www.z-medica.com). But, the basic ingredient is found in cosmetics and non-dairy creamers. It is chemically and biologically inert, and is non-botanical, so it offers no inherent risk of disease transmission and is non-allergenic.
QuikClot rapidly absorbs all the liquid in the blood, and leaves behind the clotting factors which then get to work immediately. The material itself is indestructible (it is heated to 800F during preparation) and costs roughly $20 per unit. It has an extended shelf life, and remains viable in extreme temperatures. It can stay in the body until the injured is removed to medical care, and, since it is mineral in nature, it changes neith
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Contact: Gail Cleere
cleereg@onr.navy.mil
Office of Naval Research
30-May-2002