*Graphic Images are included for educational purposes.
Preface
I had a pretty good cut on my finger from carelessly cleaning a blade. I used AllaQuix High Performance to stop the bleeding and help heal the wound. I wanted to see personally how AllaQuix performed in stopping bleeding and helping wound healing so I limited what else I used for the cut. Here is the story (along with some graphic photos of blood).
This Is Not Medical Advice
Let me start by stating that I am not a medical professional and I am not offering medical advice. This is just my experience and what I did. If you are going to use AllaQuix, PLEASE READ FULL INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE BEFORE USING. AllaQuix High Performance is for use in the management of minor cuts, minor scalds and first-degree burns, abrasions, and lacerations.
This information does not replace the advice and instructions of a healthcare professional. When in doubt, seek the advice a medical professional. AllaQuix is not for medical emergencies, serious wounds, or persistent bleeding – seek immediate professional medical help. Does not replace stitches – seek medical attention if stitches are needed. Do not use on visibly infected wounds – seek medical attention.
The Accident
I was cleaning the blade of a scrapper that I have cleaned probably well over a hundred times with no trouble. I didn’t even think that the blade on the end of the scrapper was that sharp. This time while cleaning it, I sliced my right index finger.
The cut started bleeding immediately. There was enough blood coming out that it was hard to clean it off for long enough to look at the wound. The blood was also dripping off my finger into the sink.
The Accident: blood dripping on the countertop
I cleaned the wound simply by putting it under the running water to rinse away the blood – mainly to get the blood off of the rest of the finger so I could have a cleaner area to apply a bandage.
I then wrapped a paper towel around the finger and held it on to apply pressure. I folded the paper towel over the finger a few times to make it thicker to absorb the blood.
I then found an AllaQuix in our drawer with first aid supplies – while trying to be careful to not have blood drip on the floor or my clothes. The lesson in this for me was to have AllaQuix handy in places where I may need them – but hey, I’ve never cut myself cleaning this before so why would I think I would now – but I guess that is why they are called accidents.
The large 2” AllaQuix was bigger than what I needed so I folded it to fit the finger better. If the bleeding wound was not on my right index finger and if I was not right-handed, I may have tried cutting the gauze to fit better, but this was good enough –actually maybe the extra thickness helped.
Since AllaQuix does not have adhesive, I found some first aid tape to wrap around the finger and hold AllaQuix on the cut.
I wanted to really see what AllaQuix High Performance could do. AllaQuix High Performance is made of 100% medical-grade chitosan. Chitosan is supposed to have other medical properties besides just stopping bleeding – such as antibiotic/bacteriostatic effect (aka germ killing) and stimulation of wound healing. Since I wanted to see for myself if/how this worked, I deliberately chose to not use any kind of antiseptic wipe or cleaner to clean the wound or any kind of antibiotic cream like Neosporin or something like that. I simply rinsed the wound under running water, put the AllaQuix gauze on the wound, and wrapped it with tape.
I do not know how quickly AllaQuix stopped the bleeding because I left it taped on the wound for 2 hours. However, it must have stopped it quickly because the way it was bleeding before I put AllaQuix on, it probably should have saturated the gauze and probably leaked out the side. It did not do either of these. I wrapped up the wound and it did not make any more of a bloody mess.
2 Hours After the Accident
The first time I looked at the wound after the accident was 2 hours later. I could have left the original AllaQuix on for 24 hours but I chose to change it at 2 hours. I did that so I could check to see what the wound looked like and take a picture of it. I also did that because the first AllaQuix I put on was bloody and I wanted to clean the blood from my finger and put on a clean dressing just so it looked better.
When I took the dressing off, the finger was messy from the dried blood and there were some of the chitosan fibers from the AllaQuix gauze stuck in the blood on my finger. I was able to rinse the blood and fibers off my finger without re-opening the wound or getting any new bleeding. I was impressed with how the wound had sealed after only 2 hours and that when I cleaned the wound and changed the dressing, I did not cause it to re-bleed which happens frequently with other wounds. The biggest pain was trying to get the adhesive residue from the first aid tape off my finger.
2 Hours after the Accident: Before I cleaned up the finger but you can see the chitosan fibers and that the bleeding has stopped
I then put on a fresh AllaQuix. This time I held it on with an adhesive bandage rather than tape.
12 Hours After the Accident
Twelve hours after the accident, I took the bandage and AllaQuix off to see how the wound looked at 12 hours. I had no trouble removing the AllaQuix gauze and it was clean – there was no new bleeding. As I did before, I put on a fresh AllaQuix held in place by an adhesive bandage.
12 Hours after the Accident: the wound is sealed by the coagulated blood
24 Hours (1 Day) After the Accident
Twenty-four hours after the accident, I took the bandage and AllaQuix off to see how the wound looked at 24 hours. Again, I had no trouble removing it and it looked clean with no new bleeding.
The wound looked like it had a pretty good seal and was in the process of healing. As I did before, I put on a fresh AllaQuix held in place by an adhesive bandage.
At this point, I do not think that I really needed the AllaQuix gauze. The extra cushioning was helpful, especially since I am right-handed and this injury was on my right index finger. I think I could have probably just used a regular bandage maybe with some extra gauze folded there if I wanted more padding. That would have been a cheaper option than to use another new AllaQuix. I could have also put on some triple antibiotic ointment. However, I chose to just keep using the AllaQuix alone just to see how it may help with healing.
24 Hours after the Accident: the wound has sealed at this point and the dried/coagulated blood has been after to be washed out of the wound without causing rebleeding
48 Hours (2 Days) After the Accident
At 48 hours, I did another change of AllaQuix and the adhesive bandage since the instructions say to remove AllaQuix within 24 hours. The healing progress looked good and there was no blood.
48 Hours after the Accident: the wound has remained sealed with no rebleeding and appears to be well on it way to healing
72 Hours (3 Days) After the Accident
At this point, the wound was basically sealed and well on its way to being healed. I decided to stop wearing any wound dressing on the wound. There was no reopening of the wound and no re-rebleeding since that time.
72 Hours after the Accident: at this point I felt the wound was healed well and decided to stop putting any kind of wound dressing on
My Overall Impressions
Overall, I was very impressed both with how AllaQuix stopped the bleeding and helped with wound healing.
I was surprised that the wound had healed enough at only 2 hours so when I cleaned the dried blood and adhesive off the finger, I did not re-open the wound and cause more bleeding. A lot of times when I have accidents like this, I seem to re-open the wound and get more bleeding over time – at least for the first day or two. It was great that did not happen this time and I was really impressed it did not happen at only two hours.
I tried to make this difficult for the AllaQuix by not using any cleaners or creams. I did not appear to develop an infection and the healing process seemed good.
What I Would Do Differently
Since I use this utility sink in our laundry room for cleaning tools and other things that may cut me, I now have AllaQuix stored at the sink – along with other places like in the garage. Next time I cut myself like this, I do not want to have to walk around looking for AllaQuix and worrying about dripping blood on my clothes or carpet.
I am not sure if I would not use multiple AllaQuix gauzes and change them as frequently as I did. The bleeding had stopped and the wound appeared closed when I first checked at 12 hours. I probably would have been fine to just use that one AllaQuix and then just use a regular adhesive bandage with some antibiotic ointment to help heal and protect the wound. That would have been a cheaper option instead of using multiple AllaQuix gauzes over the week.
- I did not seek any medical advice
- I did not clean the wound with a wound cleaner
- I did not ensure that I had a sterile environment or have sterile supplies
If you are going to use AllaQuix, PLEASE READ FULL INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE BEFORE USING. AllaQuix High Performance is for use in the management of minor cuts, minor scalds and first-degree burns, abrasions, and lacerations.
This information does not replace the advice and instructions of a healthcare professional. When in doubt, seek the advice a medical professional. AllaQuix is not for medical emergencies, serious wounds, or persistent bleeding – seek immediate professional medical help. Does not replace stitches – seek medical attention if stitches are needed. Do not use on visibly infected wounds – seek medical attention.
My story may not be typical for everyone who tries AllaQuix. I do not take any medication or have any medical conditions that make it more difficult for me to control bleeding.