Built for speed: five feet of gauze that packs fast, a 60-second labeled hold, and the same packing technique as every other hemostatic gauze in your kit.
At a glance
12 things to know about Celox Rapid
How chitosan works, what the 60-second label means, and what the independent studies actually found.
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01
It works differently from kaolin
Chitosan carries a positive charge; red blood cells and platelets carry a negative surface charge. When Celox Rapid meets blood, its Chito-R™ granules swell into an adhesive gel that binds blood cells and sticks to wet tissue, plugging the source.3,4 It does not rely on switching on clotting factors, which is why Medtrade describes it as working independently of the clotting cascade.3
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02
The 60-second label
Medtrade's instructions call for 60 seconds of firm compression, or until bleeding stops.3 Combat Gauze and Celox Gauze are both labeled for 3 minutes. The short hold is the reason Celox Rapid exists: a responder working alone gets their hands back sooner.
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03
How the label fits with TCCC
The TCCC Guidelines set at least 3 minutes of direct pressure for every hemostatic dressing, and units working under TCCC hold for 3.1 The two figures do not compete — both are minimums. Neither one is a reason to take your hands off a wound that is still bleeding.
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04
Five feet packs fast
Celox Rapid carries 5 ft of gauze against Combat Gauze's 12 ft, so there is less material to feed into a narrow wound track. When the two were compared in the same swine injury model, packing time was shorter with Celox Rapid.7 On a large cavity you may need a second dressing — carry two.
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05
Cleared by the FDA twice
Celox Rapid Gauze was cleared under 510(k) K110386 in May 2011 for temporary external use to control moderate to severe bleeding.5 The X-ray-detectable version, with a radiopaque thread stitched into the gauze, was cleared under K230589 in November 2023.6
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06
Rated to stay in the wound up to 72 hours
Medtrade's device record for Celox Rapid X-Ray Gauze states the dressing may be left in place for up to 72 hours6 — relevant to prolonged field care, long rural transports and delayed evacuation.
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07
The British military's standard
In 2018 the UK Ministry of Defence selected Celox Rapid as the hemostatic gauze for all branches of the UK military, and Medtrade still describes it as the UK MoD's hemostatic of choice.3
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08
Chitosan is made from shellfish — and allergy is rarely the issue
Shellfish allergy is a reaction to shellfish proteins, not to purified chitosan. In a challenge study of volunteers with documented shellfish allergy, every subject tolerated a chitosan bandage without a reaction.9 In a life-threatening bleed, a reported shellfish allergy is not a reason to withhold it.
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09
The independent evidence is mixed — read both studies
In 36 swine with no pressure held after packing, success was statistically the same for plain gauze, Combat Gauze and Celox Rapid, and Celox Rapid had the least re-bleeding.7 In 21 swine with a 3-minute hold and a simulated pressure dressing, Combat Gauze held at one hour in every animal and Celox Rapid in 60%.8 Different models, different winners — technique and hold time matter as much as the brand.
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10
The Celox family has a human randomized trial
Celox Gauze, the standard-density sibling of Celox Rapid, was tested against a standard pressure dressing in 160 civilians with stab wounds to the limbs: bleeding stopped faster and blood loss was lower with Celox.10 That trial used Celox Gauze, not Celox Rapid, and it was open-label.
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11
Blood thinners
Because chitosan's gel does not depend on clotting factors, Medtrade states Celox Rapid can be used on patients taking anticoagulants.3 Laboratory testing on blood from people taking rivaroxaban found chitosan and kaolin agents both shifted clotting toward improvement.11 Pack and hold the same way, and watch the wound closely for re-bleeding.
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12
Two packaging styles, one dressing
Tactical Dark is the subdued pouch for kits where a bright wrapper is a liability. MARCH red is the pouch made for Safeguard Medical's RAMPART™ color-coded system, where red marks Massive Hemorrhage — the M in MARCH — so the hemostatic is found by color under stress. The gauze inside is identical.
How to pack Celox Rapid
The technique taught in TCCC, TECC and public bleeding-control courses, in order.
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1Find the source. Expose the wound and find where the blood is actually coming from. Keep direct pressure on it with your hand while you tear the pouch open at a notch.
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2Start 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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3Feed it in. Work the gauze in one or two folds at a time, keeping pressure on what is already packed.
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4Fill every corner. Pack tightly to the source, leave no empty space, and finish with the gauze slightly above the skin.3
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5Hold firm pressure. At least 60 seconds per the Celox label, or at least 3 minutes if you work under TCCC1,3 — and in every case until the bleeding has stopped.
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6Lock it in. Wrap a pressure bandage over the packed wound so your hands are free for the next problem.
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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 Piling more gauze on top of a failed pack does not fix it.
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8Hand it off. Tell the receiving team a chitosan hemostatic is in the wound, give them the pouch, and keep reassessing.
Where it fits
- Junctional wounds — groin and armpit — where a limb tourniquet cannot be applied
- 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
- Narrow penetrating tracks — Celox Rapid Ribbon (1 in. × 5 ft) is the narrower format for these
- The chest or abdomen — never pack into the chest or abdominal cavity
- Life-threatening limb bleeding a tourniquet can control — tourniquet first1
- Minor cuts and scrapes — an everyday first aid dressing does that job
- Practice — train with the inert Celox Rapid trainer, not a live dressing
The evidence
Every study cited above, what it tested, and how strong the evidence is.
| Study | Evidence type | What was studied | What it found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatamabadi et al., Trauma Mon 2015 | Human · randomized trial | Celox Gauze vs standard pressure dressing, 160 civilians with penetrating limb (stab) wounds | Faster hemostasis (p = 0.01) and less blood loss with Celox; open-label; Celox Gauze, not Celox Rapid |
| Kunio et al., Am J Surg 2013 | Animal · randomized | Plain gauze vs Combat Gauze vs Celox Rapid, femoral artery injury, 36 swine, no pressure held after packing | Success not statistically different (10/12, 10/12, 12/12); median secondary blood loss 12.8 mL with Celox Rapid vs 31.9 mL Combat Gauze vs 44.7 mL plain gauze |
| Johnson & Johnson, Am J Disaster Med 2019 | Animal · randomized | Celox Rapid vs Combat Gauze, 6 mm femoral artery injury, 21 swine, 3-minute hold plus simulated pressure dressing | Initial hemostasis 70% Celox Rapid vs 100% Combat Gauze; 60% vs 100% at one hour |
| Bennett et al., J Spec Oper Med 2014 | Expert review · guideline change | Review of chitosan gauze dressings, including Celox Rapid, for TCCC Guidelines Change 13-05 | Chitosan gauze judged at least as effective as Combat Gauze in arterial models; Celox Gauze and ChitoGauze added as TCCC alternatives |
| Waibel et al., Mil Med 2011 | Human · safety challenge | Chitosan bandage applied to volunteers with documented shellfish allergy | All subjects tolerated the bandage without reaction |
| Bar et al., Prehosp Disaster Med 2017 | Laboratory | Blood from 8 people taking rivaroxaban, tested by rotational thromboelastometry | Chitosan- and kaolin-based agents both shifted clotting toward improvement |
Strongest to weakest: human trials, then animal studies, then laboratory studies. The two swine studies reached different conclusions because they tested different things — one with no pressure held after packing, one with a 3-minute hold and a pressure dressing.
How it compares
The four packing options a buyer most often weighs against each other.
| Celox Rapid | Celox Gauze | Combat Gauze | Plain compressed gauze | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active agent | Chito-R™ chitosan granules bonded to gauze | Chitosan | Kaolin (mineral) | None |
| How it stops bleeding | Forms an adhesive gel that binds blood cells | Forms an adhesive gel that binds blood cells | Speeds the body's own clotting cascade | Pressure alone |
| Strip | 3 in. × 5 ft Z-fold | Z-fold | 3 in. × 4 yd (12 ft) Z-fold | 4.5 in. × 4.1 yd roll |
| Labeled pressure hold | 60 s, or until bleeding stops | 3 min, or until bleeding stops | At least 3 min | Longer than a hemostatic — pressure is the only mechanism |
| evidence-based standard | Yes | Yes | Yes — hemostatic dressing of choice | No — not a hemostatic |
| Shellfish-derived | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Labeled hold times come from each manufacturer's instructions; the TCCC Guidelines set at least 3 minutes of direct pressure for any hemostatic dressing.1 Celox Rapid and Celox Gauze are separate products with separate NSNs.
Build the system
The rest of the Celox system, the alternatives, the bandage that holds the packing in, and the trainer.
Questions buyers ask
Package & specifications
Available Options:
- Tactical Dark Packaging
- MARCH Red Packaging
Specifications coming soon. Contact us for detailed product information.
Domestic & Military Shipping
Free Standard Shipping: Automatically applied at checkout on all orders $200 and above within the 48 contiguous United States (CONUS).
APO/FPO Military Addresses: Unconditionally free standard shipping on every order, with no minimum purchase required.
Order Processing & Tracking
Fulfillment Timeline: In stock merchandise ships within 48-72 hours from Florida HQ.
Automated carrier tracking details are emailed immediately upon shipment dispatch.
30-Day Returns & Medical Safety
Returns: Unused, unopened equipment in original manufacturer packaging is eligible for return within 30 days of delivery.
Bio-Safety Notice: To ensure sterility and patient safety, medical consumables with opened or broken tamper-evident seals cannot be returned.
Return Facility: MED-TAC International Corp., 15757 Pines Blvd, Suite 154, Pembroke Pines, FL 33027.
Export Compliance
North American Rescue (NAR) products and rifle hard armor plates are strictly restricted to US and APO/FPO addresses and cannot be exported internationally.
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