QuikClot vs Celox: Which Hemostatic Gauze Should You Carry?

If you're building an EDC or vehicle trauma kit, you'll need hemostatic gauze. Two names dominate the TCCC-approved market: QuikClot and Celox. Both stop bleeding faster than plain gauze. They do it differently — and those differences matter depending on your situation.

How Hemostatic Gauze Works

Regular gauze absorbs blood but doesn't accelerate clotting. Hemostatic gauze adds an active agent that triggers or accelerates the body's clotting cascade — allowing wounds to clot in minutes rather than the 10-15 minutes it might take with direct pressure alone. In a hemorrhage situation, those minutes are the difference between survival and death from blood loss.

QuikClot Combat Gauze

QuikClot Combat Gauze uses kaolin — a naturally occurring mineral that activates the body's own clotting factors. It works by accelerating the intrinsic clotting pathway rather than introducing a foreign clotting agent.

Key characteristics:

• Kaolin-impregnated gauze — no animal or human-derived ingredients
• TCCC recommended — the current Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care first-line hemostatic agent
• Works with the body's natural clotting mechanism
• Effective on patients with normal coagulation
• Available in Z-fold and Combat Gauze configurations

Celox Hemostatic Gauze

Celox uses chitosan — a polysaccharide derived from shellfish shells — that works by physically binding to red blood cells and forming a gel-like clot independent of the body's normal clotting cascade.

Key characteristics:

• Chitosan-based — works independently of the normal clotting cascade
• Effective on patients taking anticoagulants (warfarin, Xarelto, Eliquis, etc.)
• Works in hypothermic patients where normal clotting is impaired
• Shellfish allergy consideration (theoretical risk, not documented in emergency use)

The Key Difference: Anticoagulated Patients

This is the practical differentiator. QuikClot works by accelerating the body's clotting factors. If those clotting factors are suppressed by anticoagulant medication — which a significant percentage of the population over 60 takes — QuikClot's effectiveness is reduced.

Celox's chitosan mechanism works independently of clotting factors. It will form a hemostatic plug even on a patient on blood thinners. If you're carrying a trauma kit for a household that includes someone on anticoagulants, or for use in a general public environment where you don't know the patient's medication status, Celox has an advantage.

Which Should You Carry?

Carry QuikClot if:

• You're building a military or law enforcement kit where TCCC compliance is the standard
• Your primary use case is healthy adults with normal coagulation
• You've trained on QuikClot and have muscle memory for its use

Carry Celox if:

• Your kit may be used on elderly patients or anyone on blood thinners
• You're building a household or community kit where patient history is unknown
• You want the widest effective range across different patient populations

The best answer: carry both. A well-stocked trauma kit should include one of each. The NAR Individual Aid Medical Kit gives you a starting point, and you can supplement with individual gauze packages as needed.

H&H as a Third Option

We also carry H&H Compressed Gauze — non-hemostatic compressed gauze for wound packing where you want maximum volume in a compact package. Not a hemostatic agent, but an excellent companion to hemostatic gauze in a complete kit.

Questions about building your trauma kit? Email info@vdev.group.