Squares of white cloth. small enough to fit in your pocket. Big enough to save lives. "In the recent shooting in Tucson this was used by police. The first on the scene," says Dr. Giacomo Basadonna, "quikclot" chief medical officer.
"Quikclot" combat gauze, developed in 2008 for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now being credited for saving lives in the recent Tucson shooting as well as the shooting rampage at Ft. Hood last year.
Giacomo Basadonna, chief medical officer of the company that makes the gauze says it's not your typical bandage. "First they work as a gauze able to absorb blood, clean up wounds, etc. and at the same time they promote the clotting process to stop the bleeding quickly."
It looks like gauze you'd find in any first aid kit but bound into the fiber is a mineral that actually stops bleeding, rapidly.
Found in first aid kits in Collier County Sheriff's Deputy cruisers it's gaining popularity in the public safety community nation-wide. "The nice thing about this product is it doesn't take any special medical training. It's pretty simple if you have a wound, put this in it," says Dr. Alexander Eastman, Dallas, TX.
This product is also available for purchase by non-professionals and consumers through the company's website,
http://www.quikclot.com
