National Stop the Bleed Month Spotlights Vital Lifesaving Skills

FORT DETRICK, Md. – Every year, nearly 200,000 people die from traumatic injuries sustained in car crashes, trips and falls and accidents at work. The number-one cause of preventable death in such accidents is blood loss. It can take less than five minutes for a person to die from severe blood loss. Because professional emergency responders may not always be able to reach the scene immediately, it’s important for bystanders to know the basics of how to stop blood loss and save a life.

In recognition of National Stop the Bleed Month in May, Capt. Travis Polk, Director of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command’s Combat Casualty Care Research Program – which helped develop the Stop the Bleed program – offers the following information that people can use to recognize and stop traumatic bleeding in everyday situations.

Why is it important for people to know how to stop bleeding caused by traumatic injuries?

Capt. Polk: A person with severe bleeding can die within minutes. Severe bleeding must be stopped immediately. Given the short window of opportunity in these cases, the public must understand basic bleeding control techniques to apply while waiting for emergency medical services or other first responders to arrive.

What are the most effective means of stopping traumatic bleeding? If the proper equipment is not available, what are some other ways that people can stop bleeding?

Capt. Polk: It depends on the location and severity of bleeding. Some bleeding can be stopped with direct pressure on the wound or packing the wound tightly; however, severe limb wounds will often require a tourniquet to be placed to control the bleeding. On the other hand, internal bleeding in the chest or abdomen cannot be stopped with these techniques and the injured individual must get to a hospital rapidly to receive care from a surgeon.

In addition to tools and techniques, what knowledge should people have about the best way to respond to bleeding associated with traumatic injury?

Capt. Polk: The most important thing is that people can recognize severe bleeding and the need to intervene immediately.

What are some common misconceptions that people have about these kinds of injuries? Is it hard to learn how to stop a bleeding injury?

Capt. Polk: People are often afraid to intervene because they are worried that they may make things worse or hurt the person. The reality is that basic bleeding control is an easy to learn and critical skill. The Stop the Bleed program helps to empower the lay responders with the knowledge, skills and equipment to help save a life.

Do you have any advice that you would like to share that people can take away with them after reading this story?

Capt. Polk: Take a Stop the Bleed class from the American College of Surgeons (https://www.stopthebleed.org/), the Stop the Bleed Coalition (https://stopthebleedcoalition.org/), the American Red Cross (https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/first-aid-training/first-aid-classes/fast-training) or other organizations that offer this important training. And keep a bleeding control kit handy at home or work!

MRDC has played a significant role in the Stop the Bleed campaign since 2015. Stop the Bleed was initially developed by CCCRP in cooperation with the National Security Council in the wake of mass trauma events at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 and the Boston Marathon in 2013.