The same kaolin dressing in a pouch built for the duty bag: black, marked for police, EMS and fire, and torn open from any of its eight tear points.
At a glance
12 things to know about Combat Gauze LE
What the LE pouch changes, what it does not, and what the studies of Combat Gauze found.
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01
Combat Gauze in a law-enforcement pouch
Teleflex item #350 carries the same labeled dressing as Combat Gauze item #200: one 3 in. × 4 yd (7.5 cm × 3.7 m) kaolin Z-fold with an X-ray strip, the same four-step directions and the same warnings.4 The difference is the pouch — black, marked with police, EMS and fire symbols. The military item #200 pouch carries the NSN.
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02
One FDA clearance for the Combat Gauze family
The FDA device records for Combat Gauze LE, Combat Gauze and Combat Gauze XL all sit under 510(k) K072474, cleared in October 2007 for temporary external use to control traumatic bleeding.5,6
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03
Kaolin speeds the clot you already have
Kaolin, an inorganic mineral, activates Factor XII and accelerates the body's own clotting where the gauze touches blood.3 Teleflex puts it plainly: it uses the same placement technique as standard gauze.3
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04
evidence-based standard
The TCCC Guidelines dated 1 May 2026 name Combat Gauze the evidence-based hemostatic dressing of choice.1 The Evidence-Based Standard Devices & Adjuncts list carries it by the NSN of item #200, 6510-01-562-3325;2 the LE pouch holds the same Combat Gauze and is ordered by Teleflex item number.
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05
Three minutes, by the label and by TCCC
Pack, then continue pressure for 3 minutes or until bleeding stops, per the package directions.4 The TCCC Guidelines set at least 3 minutes for any hemostatic dressing.1 Both are minimums.
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06
Built for an officer with minimal training
In a groin-wound swine model, 24 Navy corpsmen — most with little or no hemostatic experience — applied Combat Gauze, Celox Trauma Gauze or ChitoGauze after a 15-minute slide presentation with no hands-on practice. Results were similar across products, and 23 of 24 animals survived.7 Practice still makes the difference.
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07
It holds through fluid and movement
With the swine diluted by IV fluid, wounds packed with Combat Gauze bled 36 mL against 340 mL with a control dressing.8 In cold, diluted swine, packed limbs tolerated an average of 33 movements before re-bleeding, against 6 with a control dressing.9 Carrying, dragging and loading a casualty still moves the wound — reassess after every move.
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08
Prolonged care: one of four that passed
In a 2026 Army study of fatal junctional wounds followed for up to 24 hours, Combat Gauze was one of four dressings that kept animals alive past 2 hours; survival averaged 16.7 hours, and 60% survived to 24 hours.10
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09
A consistent field record
Hemorrhage control in 88.3% of documented uses on casualties in Afghanistan;11 success in 88.6% of junctional and 91.9% of extremity applications by the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps.12 These are case series — real patients, no comparison group.
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10
No heat
In U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research testing of Combat Gauze, wound temperature did not rise by more than 1 °C after treatment.13 Nothing to pour and nothing to blow away.
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11
The dressing in Teleflex's police kits
Teleflex builds its law-enforcement kits around this item: the QuikClot Belt Trauma Kit pairs one Combat Gauze LE with a SWAT-T™ and gloves, and the Bleeding Control Kit carries three Combat Gauze LE with three tourniquets.3 An inert Combat Gauze LE moulage trainer, item #273, exists for practice.3
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12
Eight tear points, five-year shelf life
The vacuum-sealed, cube-sized pouch tears open from any of eight points with gloved hands, has a five-year shelf life,3 weighs 0.8 oz and measures 5 × 5.5 × 0.625 in.14 Made in the USA.4
How to pack Combat Gauze LE
The package directions, in the packing order taught in TCCC, TECC and public bleeding-control courses.
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1Tourniquet first on a limb. Life-threatening limb bleeding that a tourniquet can control gets a tourniquet first.1 Pack the wounds a tourniquet cannot reach.
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2Find the source. Expose the wound and find where the blood is coming from. Keep direct pressure on it while you tear the pouch open — and keep the empty package.4
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3Start with a tight wad. Make the first folds into a firm ball — the "power ball" — and press it directly onto the bleeding vessel.
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4Fill every corner. Feed the gauze in a fold or two at a time and pack tightly to the source until no empty space is left. More than one dressing may be required.4
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5Hold firm pressure. At least 3 minutes, per the package directions and the TCCC Guidelines1,4 — and until the bleeding has stopped.
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6Lock it in. Wrap and tie a pressure bandage over the packed wound to maintain pressure.4
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7If it keeps bleeding, repack. Remove the packing and pack again with a fresh dressing, the same type or another hemostatic.1 More gauze on top of a failed pack does not fix it.
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8Hand it off. Tell EMS or the receiving team a kaolin hemostatic is in the wound and show them the product-removal directions on the empty package.4
Where it fits
- Gunshot and stab wounds of the groin and armpit, where a limb tourniquet cannot be applied3
- Neck wounds, packed with care so the airway is not compressed; the lower neck above the collarbone can be packed
- Deep limb wounds where a tourniquet is not possible, or as an adjunct when a trained provider converts a tourniquet1
- Mass-casualty events, where one responder has many wounds to manage3
- The chest or abdomen — never pack into the chest or abdominal cavity
- Life-threatening limb bleeding a tourniquet can control — tourniquet first1
- The eyes — keep the dressing away from the eyes4
- Practice — train with inert trainers, not live dressings
The evidence
The studies behind the numbers above. All tested Combat Gauze; the LE pouch holds the same labeled dressing.
| Study | Evidence type | What was studied | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schauer et al., J Spec Oper Med 2017 | Human · combat registry | 118 casualties treated with Combat Gauze out of 705 in the DoD Prehospital Trauma Registry, Afghanistan | Hemorrhage control in 88.3% of uses where the outcome was documented |
| Shina et al., J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2015 | Human · combat series | 133 Combat Gauze dressings in 122 patients, Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps, 2009–2014 | Success in 88.6% of junctional and 91.9% of extremity applications |
| Conley et al., Mil Med 2015 | Animal · comparative | Combat Gauze, Celox Trauma Gauze and ChitoGauze applied by 24 Navy corpsmen after a 15-minute presentation; swine groin injury | Similar initial hemostasis, blood loss and re-bleeding across products; 23 of 24 animals survived |
| Johnson et al., US Army Med Dep J 2012 | Animal · controlled | Combat Gauze vs control dressing, femoral artery and vein transection, hemodiluted swine, 15 per group | Bleeding 36 ± 112 mL with Combat Gauze vs 340 ± 297 mL with control (p = 0.002) |
| Garcia-Blanco et al., J Spec Oper Med 2015 | Animal · randomized | Combat Gauze vs control dressing, hypothermic hemodiluted swine, limb moved until re-bleeding, 13 per group | 32.9 ± 14.1 movements before re-bleeding vs 6.2 ± 15.0 (p < 0.0001) |
| Booms et al., Mil Med 2026 | Animal · pilot | Six hemostatic dressings in a fatal swine junctional wound followed up to 24 hours | Combat Gauze one of four to pass the 2-hour threshold; survival 16.7 ± 10.5 h; 60% at 24 h |
| Kheirabadi et al., J Trauma 2009 | Animal · randomized | Combat Gauze vs three other dressings and placebo gauze; 6 mm femoral arteriotomy in swine | Stable hemostasis in 8 of 10 Combat Gauze animals; no wound temperature rise above 1 °C |
Strongest to weakest: human registries and series, then animal studies. Case series show real-world performance without a comparison group; animal results depend on the injury model, the hold time and the endpoint chosen.
How it compares
Combat Gauze LE against the other two Combat Gauze items and the evidence-based standard chitosan alternative.
| Combat Gauze LE | Combat Gauze | Combat Gauze XL | ChitoGauze XR PRO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer item | Teleflex #350 | Teleflex #200 | Teleflex #345 | Tricol 1090 |
| Pouch | Black, marked for police, EMS and fire | Olive, NSN printed | Olive, NSN printed | Heat-sealed foil pouch |
| Active agent | Kaolin (mineral) | Kaolin (mineral) | Kaolin (mineral) | Chitosan coating |
| Strip | 3 in. × 4 yd Z-fold | 3 in. × 4 yd Z-fold | 4 in. × 4 yd, 2-ply, Z-fold | 3 in. × 4 yd Z-fold |
| Pressure hold | 3 min, or until bleeding stops (label) | 3 min, or until bleeding stops (label) | 3 min, or until bleeding stops (label) | At least 3 min (TCCC) |
| FDA 510(k) | K072474 | K072474 | K072474 | K102546 |
| evidence-based standard | Yes — Combat Gauze | Yes — hemostatic dressing of choice | Yes — Combat Gauze | Yes |
| Shellfish-derived | No | No | No | Yes |
Combat Gauze data from Teleflex labeling and FDA device records;3,4,5,6 ChitoGauze XR PRO from its FDA clearance and device record.15 The TCCC Guidelines set at least 3 minutes of direct pressure for any hemostatic dressing.1
Build the system
The other Combat Gauze formats, the chitosan alternative, the tourniquet that comes first, a pressure bandage to lock the packing in, and trainers.
Questions buyers ask
Package & specifications
Specifications coming soon. Contact us for detailed product information.
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