In Anthony Bourdain’s account of his abbreviated stay in Beirut (Salon access req’d), he mentions “Kwik-Clot” a powder that is used to stop severe bleeding (“Just pour in wound!” says the man who “exfiltrated” them to safety). I did a little searching and found QuikClot, which is a “granulated mineral substance” similar to kitty litter that clots the blood instantly. It is removed once the wound can be repaired. QuikClot was developed by Z-Medica in my homestate of Connecticut and is now standard issue for Marine, Navy, and Air Force personnel in combat. One drawback is it can release enough heat to cause burns, which may be an acceptable side effect for the circumstances. The Army instead issues HemCon, a bandage made of shrimp shells which is not as versatile, leading some Army units to order their own QuikClot supply. Z-Medica is working on a new formulation which will emit less heat and of course they have their eyes on being a part of everyone’s first aid kit in the future.

By the way, Bourdain was evacuated along with other Americans by the USS Nashville, a ship built in my current homestate of Washington.