Carry a Blood Clotting Agent in Case of Serious Injury

Here’s one of our regular survival tips from survival expert James Manderville.

Emergency blood clotting agents are available as pads, sprays, and crystals.

Carry one in your survival kit, dash–pack, abandon ship bag, rucksack, home and car emergency kit.

Also carry a few surgical grade sterile gauze pads and bandages.

Severe bleeding can cause shock and death in less than 10 minutes, and even moderate, prolonged bleeding can do the same.

These agents are used by the US and UK military and should be capable of:

• Clotting blood fast (on average – in thirty seconds), even arterial blood loss.
• be effective in clotting hypothermic blood;
• working without generating heat, and therefore there being no risk of burning the affected area;
• being broken down in the body into glucosamine, a natural sugar.
• being left in the wound for up to seven days if emergency medical help is not on hand.
  Make sure the chosen product is tested (preferably endorsed by military and first aid

Organizations) so there is no allergic reaction and the product is suitable for babies and children (and animals).

Use:

• Spray blood clotting agent over or pour blood clotting crystals onto the wound area.
• Pack any cavity with the blood clotting agent or surgical gauze.
• Apply pressure directly to the wound until blood flow stops and a clot develops and strengthens. The amount of pressure and time required depends on the severity of the wound and the blood flow from the body. For minor wounds, finger tip pressure for a few seconds should be enough. For severe bleeding, strong pressure for up to five minutes in advised.

Other good products include:

Thanks to James Manderville for this survival tip.  Jame is an ex-Army survival instructor and runs the popular survival website site Survival Expert. He has many years experience in difficult terrain, notably the Amazon, the African bush and climbing in various mountain regions including the Drakensburg Mountains and the Andes