there are multiple agents in the field,...heres my take on them and their use, this may get a bit longwinded i apologize in advance, its all about the learning right??????
QUIK-CLOT-
initially formed from the weird "star-trek" concept of potatoe starch and ground volcanic rock ( rock due to its anhydrous properties). Good product but when it contacts any Heme agent the catalytic reaction creates HEAT, enough to burn skin and semi-cauterize the deeper cavitataed GSW's. Surgeons hate it because it means more invasive de-briedment for the surrounding tissue but, screw them, the guy is ALIVE right??!
The vacuum sealed packets first came out were good unless you were on a plane, then they werent so vacuumed and blew up in your bag,....love having clotting powder in my BVM (note: that powder clots ANY moist, mucous area,..ventilate that, your gonna kill someone !)
SO,....application of said agent is "tear pour into wound" basically. Well, for sakew of an argument, lets say Femoral GSW. OK, you need to still apply direct pressure, quickly reach in with another gauze (abd pad 5X9 worked best) scoop out the retained blood, otherwise adding quikclot gives you a modified JELLO of blood components and that isn't stopping your hemorrhage. So basically, ( immediate pressure, switch hands scoop/wipe, quikclot, direct pressure, Tourniquet? depending on area of GSW and your local protocol)
It gets hot, and it hurts!!, so the company changed the powder deal because in combat medics/soldiers were ripping open the packets, and, " Lo and Behold", ripping it open makes it airborne in the wind so your eyes, nose, ears, throat (already parched your in a friggin desert...) start to solidify-haha this really sucks and the more water you give to flush eyes or so, the hotter it gets. RIP IT AWAY FROM YOUR FACE AND NOT DOWNWIND FOLKS!!
So, the company went to the Quikclot "Sponge" which is like a 5X9 sealed gauze with quikclot impregnated. MUCH BETTER, it wont aerosolize in your face, and you can push it INTO the GSW eliminating the Scoop/Wipe deal. Quicker -faster-better-evolution. and some weird biologic-pharmaceutical change has reduced the heat by-product of administration.
TRAUMA-DEX: not so hot in temp, stupid applicator, looks like it belongs in a chics scrapbook craft kit. I dont see it working for a good traumatic bleed(ie. non-tourniquetable femoral/axillary GSW)
It does work though.
KITOSAN: ground up substrate from shrimp exoskeletons, made inert so you wont get any anaphylaxis response from those sensitive to seafood or iodine or Radiology Contrast (injectable) Dye.
Military tried it, missed a step in production, multiple million dollar OOPS that resulted in high priced "4X4's" that didnt clot anything. The new version is in most cardiac cath and angio labs.
I know this is long, sorry,....but id rather light 1 candle of thought than curse the darkness!