In the hope-you-never-have-to-use-it category, QuikClot (www.quikclot.com) has a hemostatic agent designed to stop profuse bleeding.
The small first-aid packets, made by Z-Medica Corp., are filled with Zeolite, a granulated mineral substance that comes encased in a porous surgical sponge. It removes the liquid components from blood, allowing the platelets to clot rapidly.
According to a QuikClot distributor, blood from a wound can take up to 30 minutes to clot. But with the application of a QuikClot pad, the company says a deep cut can clot in about three minutes.
QuikClot is used by the U.S. military, and the creators credit the product for saving 150 lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Packs start at $10.
