National STOP THE BLEED® Month


Bleeding can occur from violent or non-violent causes: violence has become rampant in our society, whether from a random deranged shooter to a mass of enraged protestors; non-violent accidents, such as a chainsaw injury or a motor vehicle collision, can also cause severe bleeding. A penetrating wound involving a major blood vessel can result in catastrophic bleeding. Exsanguinating hemorrhage can occur in a matter of minutes. A human body contains five liters of blood; if you lose two liters you can die!

As a trauma surgeon, I dealt with life-threatening bleeding both in the Trauma Center and the Operating Room, where I had access to well-trained staff and bountiful equipment. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to provide immediate life-saving treatment to yourself or bystanders, on the scene of the event with minimal supplies, until emergency services arrive. I was trained to respond by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) and have trained others. Do you know what to do?

Here’s a quick overview, but it’s worth your time to take a course to practice the skills, embed them in your muscle memory, and be ready to respond if a serious bleeding event happens.


The following video goes through the steps of how to properly apply a tourniquet. The Hartford Consensus: How to Use a Tourniquet.


Courses are available around the country. Check this link to find a STOP THE BLEED® course near you.

While some major public buildings may have STOP THE BLEED® stations installed, you may not know if/where they are located, and you won’t have time to scurry around in search of them. It is worth your while to procure your own kit, to practice removing the supplies, and setting them up (just don’t open sterile items until ready to utilize). Here is the official STOP THE BLEED® store, but you can also find kits on the RESCUE ESSENTIALS site. There are cheaper kits available online, but many of them contain shoddy gear that may fail in a life-and-death situation. In addition, other kits may include unnecessary stuff that clutter the bag making it difficult to quickly access essential items.

NOTE: STOP THE BLEED® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency. All rights reserved. © DoD. The American College of Surgeons’ (ACS)/ACS Committee on Trauma (ACS COT) STOP THE BLEED® program is operated pursuant to a licensing agreement granted it by the Department of Defense.

Are you ready to respond?

You can follow the Author on her Website or on Twitter.

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