Quick clot trauma paks

[ground chuck]

Expired 5/19

Are they really expired?

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[Blaster229]

For the price, I would not use any that is expired. Use it on yourself. Don't use it on someone who could sue you.
Quick Clot says to not use it after expiration.

 

[Art3]

Guess you'll have to try it out


Keep us posted



In all seriousness, while I wouldn't throw it out until the replacement arrived, I would definitely be ordering a replacement. It's one thing to use expired aspirin and maybe your headache doesn't quite go away as soon as it should...life saving stuff is different.

 

[Tungsten]

Kaolin (their active ingredient) is an inorganic additive. So it typically isn't going to break down (think of bricks). However it does absorb water which assists the clotting process. So if it has been left out and gets exposed to water, it may have greatly reduced effectiveness (think silica gel drying packs). It appears that the kaolin would still activate the clotting factor, but if moist, it may not be as useful for the more serious wounds. I wouldn't be worried about it making a situation worse, but if the outer packaging is ripped, it may not end up being much of a benefit.

 

[cstone]

I wouldn't toss it but probably buy some newer stock to carry in an IFAK.

If it was an emergency situation, I would rather have expired quick clot rather than none at all. I assume you have plenty of regular gauze and a tourniquet or two of your choosing.

 

[CroftonBilly]

Thanks Ground Chuck for posting. Just checked the few I have and they've long expired. Time for new ones.

 

[cap6888]

I don’t have it readily available, but there is a study that shows that PROPER wound packing with plain gauze is just as effective as using hemostatic gauze. You don’t use quikclot or other hemostatic dressing on surface wounds, they are meant for packing blood vessels (primarily arteries) that are bleeding below the surface in deep wounds. To be effective you actually have to find the bleeding vessel with your finger, then pack said dressing into that point. Then hold pressure on the wound for several minutes. Remember, quick clot is not magic fairy dust.

ETA-sorry for droning on. My point is, I don’t use hemostatic agents in my kits because of the expiration date. Plain gauze will be as effective when applied properly.

 

[ground chuck]

Kaolin (their active ingredient) is an inorganic additive. So it typically isn't going to break down (think of bricks). However it does absorb water which assists the clotting process. So if it has been left out and gets exposed to water, it may have greatly reduced effectiveness (think silica gel drying packs). It appears that the kaolin would still activate the clotting factor, but if moist, it may not be as useful for the more serious wounds. I wouldn't be worried about it making a situation worse, but if the outer packaging is ripped, it may not end up being much of a benefit.

Completely sealed

I wouldn't toss it but probably buy some newer stock to carry in an IFAK.

If it was an emergency situation, I would rather have expired quick clot rather than none at all. I assume you have plenty of regular gauze and a tourniquet or two of your choosing.

All my ifak for myself and kids have smaller quik clot things maybe 25gram and big ones in the get home bags. Grrr

Thanks Ground Chuck for posting. Just checked the few I have and they've long expired. Time for new ones.

I know all mine are expired after checking one last night. My old FSA i would buy them before the $$$ were set to expire. Now i have a hsa so replacing them all might get pricey.

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[ground chuck]

Might get some celox, they offer 2 gram packs

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[Tungsten]

Completely sealed

Plastic is permeable to moisture over time. So if it is ripped, then you can guarantee the contents are wet. If it isn't ripped, then you are fine up to the expiration date, with some amount of loss of activity after that due to trace moisture getting through. The rate of loss depends on the product and the packaging. Again, it won't hurt anything, but it may just not be all that effective.

 

[Boxcab]

Plastic is permeable to moisture over time. So if it is ripped, then you can guarantee the contents are wet. If it isn't ripped, then you are fine up to the expiration date, with some amount of loss of activity after that due to trace moisture getting through. The rate of loss depends on the product and the packaging. Again, it won't hurt anything, but it may just not be all that effective.

It looks like it might have a Mylar layer (hard to tell from pic, but not unexpected). That should really limit moisture intrusion, but... best to go by manufacturer's recommendations. It might be worth a call to the manufacturer and find out what they say.


.

 

[Blaster229]

It looks like it might have a Mylar layer (hard to tell from pic, but not unexpected). That should really limit moisture intrusion, but... best to go by manufacturer's recommendations. It might be worth a call to the manufacturer and find out what they say.


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What they say is on their website. Do not use if expired.

 

[Boxcab]

What they say is on their website. Do not use if expired.

That's probably the official lawyer talk. One might get someone on the phone that might talk beyond that... maybe relay some real world usages beyond the expired date and the effectivity. Or maybe not.



.

 

[Blaster229]

That's probably the official lawyer talk. One might get someone on the phone that might talk beyond that... maybe relay some real world usages beyond the expired date and the effectivity. Or maybe not.



.

They have that "lawyer talk" for a good reason.
Would you engage in that talk if it were a product of a company that you worked for?

Consumer: "Well Mr. Boxcab said it was fine to use after the exp. date."

Mr. Boxcab: "I never said such a thing to that customer."

No one in their right mind would do that.

 

[Tungsten]

It may be an interesting experiment to find a fresh source of blood (hopefully not your own) and throw it in a bowl with the quickclot and see if it congeals rapidly. I'm not on the bio side of things so I don't know if it requires a living system to activate the clotting pathways, but maybe fresh blood is good enough. Any bio people want to weigh in on that?

 

[shadow116]

A point to consider is that a most of the QuikClot bandages contained in these lower cost kits are 3"x 3" or 4"x 4" sponges, or at best a 3" x 24" gauze.(Example)

These bandgage maybe ok for a non-arterial bleed, or something that bleeds alot like a head wound.

But for a life threatening bleed, I would not trust one of these sponges to do much.

Whether you are using plain gauze, or one with an impregnated a hemostatic agent, the gauze should be packed into the wound and as close to the severed artery as possible. A gauze that is several feet in length would be best to have on hand to complete this packing action.

A real Quikclot rolled or z-folded gauze will cost more than one of these kits, and is better to have on hand.

These kits are really a semi-serious boo-boo kits, vice a "trauma" kit.

Best to get a good tourniquet, a decent roll of gauze, and some training. Find a basic "Stop the Bleed" course (once the apocalypse is over), and keep a good kit handy.

 

[ground chuck]

A point to consider is that a most of the QuikClot bandages contained in these lower cost kits are 3"x 3" or 4"x 4" sponges, or at best a 3" x 24" gauze.(Example)



These bandgage maybe ok for a non-arterial bleed, or something that bleeds alot like a head wound.



But for a life threatening bleed, I would not trust one of these sponges to do much.



Whether you are using plain gauze, or one with an impregnated a hemostatic agent, the gauze should be packed into the wound and as close to the severed artery as possible. A gauze that is several feet in length would be best to have on hand to complete this packing action.



A real Quikclot rolled or z-folded gauze will cost more than one of these kits, and is better to have on hand.



These kits are really a semi-serious boo-boo kits, vice a "trauma" kit.



Best to get a good tourniquet, a decent roll of gauze, and some training. Find a basic "Stop the Bleed" course (once the apocalypse is over), and keep a good kit handy.

Tourniquets are in my Amazon cart. I figured i would always just use my belt, but that may not always be feasable

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[cstone]

Tourniquets are in my Amazon cart. I figured i would always just use my belt, but that may not always be feasable

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There are several very effective tourniquets on the market. Either through training or exposure by talking to EMTs or combat medics try to get your hands on a few and figure out which ones you could carry and quickly apply to yourself one handed. Once you have found one that works for you, get a few. At least once a year practice putting one on yourself, one handed and timed. 30 seconds or less is good, but one minute is probably more realistic. If you can put it on yourself one handed, putting it on someone else with both hands is pretty easy.

At least watch a few YT videos and preferably have someone one show you how to effectively pack a wound with gauze. Know that it will be harder if you ever have to do it for real.

Medical stuff is much more useful and much more likely to be used than any of my firearms stuff. Definitely call 911 before you start anything because you will never have as much stuff or training as any well equipped EMT bus.

Be safe.

 

[shadow116]

I figured i would always just use my belt, but that may not always be feasable

Belts...maybe, sort of, but not really.

What is the belt made of? The most common belt material is leather and that is never good. A leather belt or any other material that does not flex easily is not what you should use.

A nylon belt could work, much like the belts that everyone has in their car. (Your Seatbelts)

But you have to have a good windlass, and way to secure it. A good sized rod (10-12 inches or more long) has to be used to twist the improvised tourniquet and something is needed to secure the windlass from untwisting.

Also, make sure the first time you are trying to place a tourniquet or make an improvised one is not during the 3-4 minute window in which someone is bleeding out in front of you.

 

[shadow116]

At least once a year practice putting one on yourself, one handed and timed.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER practice with a tourniquet you plan on using in an actual emergency.

Buy a Trainer model (which is usually colored blue to ID them as trainers) or buy 2 of the regular ones and mark the trainer to ensure you never use it for real.