Unfortunately I tried out my Hemcon Kyto-Stat bandages today...

[Rob Babcock]

Well, it was only a matter of time!

After carrying them in my work roll and keeping a couple boxes on hand at home I finally had to use one. I was cutting the top off of a box with the only dull knife I have in the house (cue irony), my Kershaw Leek folder. It's a recurve that's got too sharp of a bend to lay down on a stone, and I guess I haven't really figured out how to do this little sucker with the ol' sandpaper-on-mousepad yet. Anyways, I'm really leaning into it to push thru the boxtop when POP! it shoots out the other side, about 3/16" into my arm!

The blood wasn't spraying, but let's just say it was beyond a trickle. I grabbed a Providone Iodine pad (yeah, I keep a 100ct box by my computer...) and swabbed it, then applied pressure with gauze. No dice. I decided it would be a good test for the Kyto-Stats. I ripped one open, then let a bit of blood well up since they need blood to work. Being careful to cover the whole cut I stuck it on and applied pressure with a towel for a few seconds. Almost instantly the river dried up, not a single drop. Nada. And I'm a bleeder.

Okay, maybe I'll spontaneously combust in my sleep, but short of that these things kick ass. Normally on me this would be a several-hour bleed, but the Hemcon bandage stopped it cold. An A+ performance!

 

[Selkie]

I have never heard of those. I take warfrin, so I'll look into that bandage. Thank you!

 

[Rob Babcock]

I have never heard of those. I take warfrin, so I'll look into that bandage. Thank you!

The compound used in these bandages is called Chitosan, and the effect is completely independent of blood clotting agents- Heparin and Warfarin don't affect it at all. The best way I can describe it is that is dehydrates blood- it removes everything but the solid parts and the clotting factors. My Dad is on Coumidin (sp?) and it dries up his nosebleeds ASAP.

For more info check the link. Obviously commercial and therefore not impartial, but it clues you in on the tech.

 

[Selkie]

Coumadin and warfrin are the same thing. One is a brand name. The other is generic.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Coumadin and warfrin are the same thing. One is a brand name. The other is generic.

Yeah, I know that. Sorry, I should've been more specific. The point is anti-coagulent drugs don't seem to affect the product at all.

 

[justplainbill]

Spyderco's profiler stones nicely resharpen recurves. Conventional wisdom used to be that it's a good idea to let puncture wounds bleed a bit to help clean them out.

 

[justplainbill]

Rob should sharpen his recurve.

 

[Selkie]

Rob should sharpen his recurve.

Oh. That's true.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Um, yeah...I probably should. But that isn't really the point of my posting. I wanted to mention for those of you who were curious that those bandages work as advertised. Having used them I feel in better keeping a few in my work knife case.

 

[Rob Babcock]

BTW, a it's a foam bandage, and the adhesive is pretty good. I'd say comparable to the "Extreme Stick" type ones you buy in drugstores, or at least pretty close. Super hemostatic powers wouldn't mean much if the sucker doesn't stick.

 

[justplainbill]

What's the shelf life of the Hemcon Kyto-Stat bandages?

 

[Rob Babcock]

I must admit I'm not sure, Bill. At one point I knew and I think it's in the literature, but I'll have to look it up. As I recall it's several years from the manufacture date, but don't quote me I can look it up.

Sometimes I do take a pretty "proactive" stance towards products I believe in, and this is one of those times. $5 per bandage seems expensive until you consider the ER trips this might prevent. I've given my Dad products withe the same technology to help control his nosebleeds with great results.

I'll get the expiration dates ASAP, Bill.

 

[justplainbill]

Thank you Rob.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Sorry to take so long in answering, Bill. I went directly to the source; according to the manufacturer, Celox products have been proven to perform to spec for a minimum of three years from the manufacture date. Not bad, I'd say. You may go quite a while without seeing or needing to treat, say, a major high-pressure arterial bleed but most likely a simple band-aid type dressing will see action at some point within that time frame.

I already have a 10 pack of the 2 gram Celox First Aid granules, and I keep a few in my work first aid kit. I also have some of their Nosebleed Pads (my dad is on potent blood thinners and gets nosebleeds that routinely land him in the ER). After seeing the awesome effectiveness of the Kyto-Stat bandages and the Nosebleed Pads I ordered an 8 x 8" Hemostatic Celox Gauze from Amazon. It should offer the same state of the art hemostatic prowess with the ability to cover a broad range of wounds (and burns).

This stuff is amazing!

 

[justplainbill]

Thanks Rob

 

[Rob Babcock]

BTW, Bill- I sharpened that d@$%^d Kershaw!

 

[justplainbill]

Hope you didn't have to use the corner of a stone to do the sharpening.