After the gash I got from my trip to the floor last week, I was thinking it might be good for my dad, on blood thinners, to have some celox on hand for quick response to a bleed (cut of some type) while either waiting for ambulance or driving to the ER. Something easy and quick for dad/mom to apply w/out much special knowledge.

Any recommendations on what celox product would work best for elderly parents on warfarin? Some sort of cut that would warrant stiches / trip to ER.

Having been on Eliquis, any “cut” would bleed freely. For me, considering any preparation materials specifically to address this, I’d lean more toward additional gauze, mostly, and maybe a tourniquet. I’d skip the clotting products.

Thanks. How about gauze and Israeli bandage? Or just gauze and tape?

I’m not an expert. When would a celox pad be indicated vs not? In this case, not because he’ll be seen by doc soon? (Vs in the field where doc may be hours or days away?). Or other functional reasons?

I am on Brilinta, which makes your blood slippery. I have little tubes of Wound Seal, in my house, camp, all of my vehicles and my lunch pail. Have had to use a couple of times on minor cuts that would not quit bleeding.

When I was on warfin, the doc told me she chose it because it can be immediately reversed by a dose of vitamin K. I’d just recommend a normal pressure dressing and maybe having some vitamin k standing by

I think a good supply of gauze should be sufficient. This will need good direct pressure. The celox or combat gauze works well but can create issues when it’s time to be removed. Naturally if someone is bleeding to death use any means necessary to stop the bleeding. Cuts sustained from falls at home can lead to that level of hemorrhage sometimes but it’s rare, even with blood thinners. Scalp lacerations are some of the worst for bleeding but the vast majority can be controlled with regular gauze and pressure.
Most of the blood thinners today have reversal agents. They’re not always perfect or available in some locations due to cost. Warfarin can be reversed with vitamin K but it takes time. We have a reversal agent for warfarin that works in about 20 minutes but the last time I heard it was about $7000/dose. It works very well though and if the situation warrants it the cost is well worth it.

I'd go with a pressure dressing like an Israeli bandage vs. some sort of impregnated combat gauze.

The Israeli bandage (or similar pressure dressings) are cheap and easy to use. They're cheap enough that I'd purchase one or two extra to show them how to use the product, since, while easy, it's not something you want to sit and read the instructions while you're bleeding profusely.

If you really want, then a TQ, but those are more expensive and I'd still suggest an additional trainer to get the hang of it. Having to self apply a TQ when you're bleeding and you've never done it would be less than idea. My concern would be bruising on someone on blood thinners if you're practicing TQ application.

Save impregnated combat gauzes for wound packing.

Thanks guys!!

Okay, gauze, tape and Israeli bandage it is.

I'd also get him a styptic pencil for small cuts.

They work really well for minor cuts and dings, like razor nicks. Just be forewarned that they do sting a bit.

I like the matchbook-style single use ones like these:
https://www.amazon.com/BARBERU...eding/dp/B00QIZVTN8/

quote:

Originally posted by armedmd:
The celox or combat gauze works well but can create issues when it’s time to be removed.

What are those issues?

Watching this thread as I am on Eliquis. The smallest cuts seem to bleed forever. When on the job, I just use what I think is the appropriate amount of paper towels and use electrical tape to make it stay in place.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
When I was on warfin, the doc told me she chose it because it can be immediately reversed by a dose of vitamin K. I’d just recommend a normal pressure dressing and maybe having some vitamin k standing by

That's true, but I think it does not work for other blood thinners.

Also, that flesh colored plastic tape they sell in the first aid section sticks to itself and is great for quickly securing bandages.

quote:

Originally posted by Oregon:

quote:

Originally posted by armedmd:
The celox or combat gauze works well but can create issues when it’s time to be removed.

What are those issues?

Those dressings promote clotting through heat and creating a mesh work for clotting via a fibrin network. When you remove the dressing there can be rebleeding and it can be painful. This can usually be done in the er but sometimes requires OR. Again, use if needed to save a life but I wouldn’t recommend using them for smaller more simple wounds when the bleeding can be controlled with a pressure dressing.

Years ago when I was given my high blood pressure medicine, I was told by the Doc that it was basically a blood thinner. It has worked very well for me but I have never noticed any problem at all over my blood clotting abilities.

I am wondering, is it a different thing all together?

I'm taking Xarelto, which I'm told has no instant reversal. I bought a pack of something called "Bleedstop" at Wal Mart, just to have on hand. It contains something called amylopectin. Thankfully, I've not needed it.

quote:

Originally posted by armedmd:

quote:

Originally posted by Oregon:

quote:

Originally posted by armedmd:
The celox or combat gauze works well but can create issues when it’s time to be removed.

What are those issues?

Those dressings promote clotting through heat and creating a mesh work for clotting via a fibrin network. When you remove the dressing there can be rebleeding and it can be painful. This can usually be done in the er but sometimes requires OR. Again, use if needed to save a life but I wouldn’t recommend using them for smaller more simple wounds when the bleeding can be controlled with a pressure dressing.

QuikClot products use powdered kaolin clay and don't heat up.

https://quikclot.com/QuikClot/About-QuikClot#kaolin

There may still be difficulty removing the gauze or powdered agent because kind of the whole point is that the gauze or powdered agent ends up in the clot/scab attached to the wound (picture the worst stuck-to-the-scab bandaid ever - although however they make bandaids now, they seem to have gotten very resistant to getting stuck in scabs).

That can, of course, be an issue with normal gauze, too.

Yeah, the exothermic reactions that were a byproduct of hemostatic agents are a thing of the past.

The kaolin and chitosan based products these days don't do that.

It was recommended to me in class that, regardless of what type of hemostatic agent you use, to wrap the packaging inside the wound dressing so that the ER or paramedics will know what you used.

quote:

Originally posted by hvyhawler:
I have little tubes of Wound Seal

Wound Seal is great for hard to bandaid areas.

quote:

Originally posted by Voshterkoff:

quote:

Originally posted by hvyhawler:
I have little tubes of Wound Seal

Wound Seal is great for hard to bandaid areas.

Totally agree. Been on plavix for years and years. Had a recent kitchen accident where I deeply cut my thumb. Blood all over the place. Pressure, gauze, et all did jack squat. I had Wound Seal and thankfully it did the trick. Still needed Steri-strips but without the Wound Seal I would have been in deep doo-doo.

I'm on blood thinners and cut myself often... does not seem a big deal to me... you know you can lose a lot of blood before it is a problem... 2 or 3 pints is a lot of blood.... gauze and tape work... if all else fails... duct tape....