Coagulation aids

[yotphix]

http://kytostat.com/Home.aspx
http://www.biolife.com/
http://www.seal-on.com/

The above links are all to first aid products aimed at stopping bleeding, especially in the anti coagulated. Anyone here have experience with any such products, advice about them or suggestions on which are effective enough to warrant keeping in a first aid kit on my motorcycle, in my car and on my boat? So far I have found that I bleed noticeably more from small cuts (get those every day) but haven't had the pleasure of dealing with a bad one yet.

Oh, I have been anticoagulated since last June when I had my stenotic BAV replaced with a lovely new Carbomedics 29mm unit, clicking away like a timex. Thanks to all of the posters here who made my transition to self management so easy in my third month.

Paul

 

[Ross]

http://kytostat.com/Home.aspx
http://www.biolife.com/
http://www.seal-on.com/

The above links are all to first aid products aimed at stopping bleeding, especially in the anti coagulated. Anyone here have experience with any such products, advice about them or suggestions on which are effective enough to warrant keeping in a first aid kit on my motorcycle, in my car and on my boat? So far I have found that I bleed noticeably more from small cuts (get those every day) but haven't had the pleasure of dealing with a bad one yet.

Oh, I have been anticoagulated since last June when I had my stenotic BAV replaced with a lovely new Carbomedics 29mm unit, clicking away like a timex. Thanks to all of the posters here who made my transition to self management so easy in my third month.

Paul

While those products wouldn't necessarily be bad to have on hand, I doubt highly that you'll ever need them. Most have expiration dates within one year of purchase also. Your blood is NOT WATER and it's not going to come pouring out of you if you get a minor cut. You stop bleeding the same way as before, direct pressure for a little longer then usual.

Pretty much, if you cut yourself bad enough (Severe) that you need these items, you'd pretty much have to go to the ER even if you weren't on Coumadin. Sounds like someone has you spooked badly. Don't take that in a mean way. We veteran Coumadin folks have done just about everything to ourselves and we've never needed anything like those.

 

[catwoman]

http://kytostat.com/Home.aspx
http://www.biolife.com/
http://www.seal-on.com/

The above links are all to first aid products aimed at stopping bleeding, especially in the anti coagulated. Anyone here have experience with any such products, advice about them or suggestions on which are effective enough to warrant keeping in a first aid kit on my motorcycle, in my car and on my boat? So far I have found that I bleed noticeably more from small cuts (get those every day) but haven't had the pleasure of dealing with a bad one yet.
Paul

Basically, all that's usually needed in most situations is to wash the wound and then apply pressure to stop bleeding.
Taking a general first-aid kit along on a boat isn't a bad idea -- not just for yourself, but for anyone in the boat. In your car, no, unless you're going on a camping trip. On your motorcycle, no, unless you're going on an extended trip. Otherwise, you can get home & take care of the situation or if traveling stop at a restroom, wash the wound and use paper towels (or purchase something if it's a facility with only blow dryers). I've gotten bandages from flight attendants when I couldn't get to my tiny "first-aid kit" (emergency stash of Rx meds + bandages) in my luggage in the overhead.

 

[yotphix]

Perhaps something came through in my question that I didn't intend. I am not "spooked at all, or scared or worried or frightened. I do bleed more though, and I bleed often enough to see the difference. I get small cuts about 2 to 3 times per week and my response to them is the same as ever. Clean them and press something clean onto them until they stop. The difference is just that it takes noticeably longer than before.
While it is clear that the responding posters don't have experience with the type of products I was asking about, I do appreciate them taking the time to post. I would like to say though that short trip or long, it is simply sensible to have first aid kits, (and training to use them) if you are boating, and even if you are travelling by car further than the corner store. Obviously you need to go to the hospital for serious injuries but it is called "First Aid" for a reason. I have had a head on collision with the total destruction of two cars in the middle of a city and it took 10 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. If you can help yourself or somebody else in those very long 10 minutes (or possibly much more in the country) you should. On a boat more than a few miles offshore, you are sometimes on your own. It is arguable that the bike doesn't need a first aid kit - just a phone number for a mortuary- but I tend to be optimistic.

No panic, no worry. Just looking at options to aid in coagulation and prevent blood loss in the event that I find myself in that situation. The boat I work on has a very large first aid kit that runs from Bolus rehydration kits to an Automatic External Defibrilator. A guest on the boat who is anticoagulated (possibly over-anticoagulated at the time-as we all know, it happens) cut his shin last year and bled for half and hour, soaking bandages. I was hoping to get some advice on which of these sort of products are effective and which are not. I thought this might be a good place to find that advice but no matter if it isn't

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Ross]

Paul I have used the hemostatic pads in the hospital. They work to an extent. Lets put it this way, if you don't require stitches, they work well, but if your bleeding pretty seriously, these products aren't the answer. Now they will slow the bleeding down a lot, but if it's serious bleeding, it's not going to stop without intervention.

These are the ones I'm speaking of:

http://www.actcel.com/

 

[yotphix]

Excellent. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Just to be clear, I never meant to indicate that I was looking for something to take the place of medical care, stitches etc. Just wondering whether their are products available that will improve First Aid. These seem to fit the bill. And if they were used on you in a hospital that is probably an implicit endorsement of their effectiveness.

When you get a flat tire in a car do you sit by the roadside waiting for help or do you put on a spare, or spray in a can of sealant to get you to the tire shop? Same thing to my mind.

 

[Ross]

Excellent. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Just to be clear, I never meant to indicate that I was looking for something to take the place of medical care, stitches etc. Just wondering whether their are products available that will improve First Aid. These seem to fit the bill. And if they were used on you in a hospital that is probably an implicit endorsement of their effectiveness.

When you get a flat tire in a car do you sit by the roadside waiting for help or do you put on a spare, or spray in a can of sealant to get you to the tire shop? Same thing to my mind.

Like tire sealant, if the hole is too big, not even the sealant is going to hold, but it may get you to the tire shop. Same principle with these things.

I understood your question to start with, just trying to say that no one that I know of, has had to use any of these things. I had all my teeth removed and had one area that just wasn't stitched correctly. It gave way and they tried everything, and I do mean everything, hemastatic pads, gelfoam, transexamic acid, and in the end, I got stitched up again.

 

[olefin]

The Kytostat bandages look good. Says it's the same blood-stopping technology the Army uses in Afghanistan and Iraq. Might be something worth having. Wonder if I could have got one to stick to my tongue the time I almost bit the end off.

 

[Philip B]

Bleeding

Bleeding

I pursue a pretty active lifestyle and tend to get beat-up fairly often. Other than packing a few bandaids, I've never worried about packing any special first aid products to stop bleeding. Simply using pressure tends to stop bleeding on cuts pretty well.

Despite some pretty major cuts and scrapes, my worse episodes with bleeding have been with nose bleeds. My nose has bled for hours.

Carrying a decent first aid kit when you are engaged in activities like boating simply make sense regardless of whether one is taking anti-coagulation medication or not. The same goes for any kind of activity which is done in an environment where medical assistance is not readily available.

-Philip

 

[Lionheart]

Paul,
Excellent questions about bleeding control regardless of whether a person is anti-coagulated or not. I agree with you; when in a remote "situation" we all need to be self-sufficient and perform self rescue as much as possible. That means being prepared for more than a minor cut. I too will be investigating the many options that were posted and will probably purchase something for remote travel that often places me hours from the nearest help.
Thanks,
John

 

[Ross]

Paul,
Excellent questions about bleeding control regardless of whether a person is anti-coagulated or not. I agree with you; when in a remote "situation" we all need to be self-sufficient and perform self rescue as much as possible. That means being prepared for more than a minor cut. I too will be investigating the many options that were posted and will probably purchase something for remote travel that often places me hours from the nearest help.
Thanks,
John

Pffft, just be like Sylvester Stalone in First Blood. Carry a military knife with a compass, needle and thread, and stitch yourself up. Saves time and money rather then sitting in the ER.

 

[Maryka]

By the way, WELCOME TO VR! I will remember all of this bleeding adviice, so thanks for bringing it up!

 

[catwoman]

Carrying a decent first aid kit when you are engaged in activities like boating simply make sense regardless of whether one is taking anti-coagulation medication or not. The same goes for any kind of activity which is done in an environment where medical assistance is not readily available.

-Philip

I was once a Camp Fire leader. In order to take kids camping, I had to take (1) a leader camping course and (2) a Red Cross first-aid course. I took 2 levels of outdoor camping courses, basic and a more rustic one. Took first aid course twice (certificate expires after X years).
We had to take a fairly complete first-aid kit with us.

Several of the mail-order veterinary catalogs carry several products to use in stopping bleeding: Clotisol, Vetbond (there's a human product available, think it's Dermabond) and Kwik Stop.

I checked links to the 3 products that Paul listed. One of them is about $15 / 3 bandages (1X4). Couldn't find out what ingredients are in the bandage.