Initial Steps in Training the Public about Bleeding Control: Surgeon Participation and Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: With increasing active shooter and intentional mass casualty events, as well as everyday injuries resulting in severe bleeding, there have been calls for the public to learn bleeding control techniques. The aims of this project were to offer bleeding control training to surgeons attending the Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), to determine if the trained surgeons believe that teaching bleeding control to the public should be a priority of the ACS, and to assess the surgeon trainees' perceptions regarding the appropriateness of the course for a public audience. STUDY DESIGN: This was an educational program with a post-course evaluation to determine if the bleeding control course is appropriate for a public audience. RESULTS: Three hundred forty-one surgeons were trained. All were trained and successfully performed a return demonstration. Regarding perceptions of the participating surgeons that teaching bleeding control to the public should be a priority of the ACS, 93.79% of the 322 surgeons responding indicated agreement with this proposition. Regarding whether or not the training was at an appropriate level of difficulty for the public, 93.13% of the 320 respondents to this item agreed that it was appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: The surgeons who were trained were very much in favor of making training the public a priority of the ACS. With additional training of surgeons and other health care professionals as trainers, and the engagement of the public, the goal of having a citizenry prepared to stop bleeding can be achieved.

The Hartford Consensus IV: A Call for Increased National Resilience.

Despite advances in the response to active shooter and intentional mass casualty events, a gap remains in our national preparedness and resilience. Drawing from experiences at myriad mass casualty events, the immediate responder (volunteer responder) represents an underutilized resource, yet one capable of dramatically increasing our all-hazards (injuries from all natural and man-made causes) national resilience. The overarching principle of the Hartford Consensus, outlined in previous reports, is that no one should die from uncontrolled bleeding. We have championed the following acronym to summarize what we have determined are appropriate steps to ensure that the maximum number of victims of these tragic events can be saved: THREAT: Threat suppression. Hemorrhage control. Rapid Extrication to safety. Assessment by medical providers. Transport to definitive care.

The Hartford Consensus IV: A Call for Increased National Resilience.

National implementation of the Hartford Consensus is a meticulous and incremental process. It consists of many elements that require collaboration and strategic leadership to achieve an efficient, effective, knowledgeable, resilient, and prepared citizenry. We strongly believe the public can and should act as immediate responders to stop bleeding from all hazards, including active shooter and intentional mass casualty events. The ACS has a long history of setting standards and educating responders through its Committee on Trauma and its programs. The ACS is therefore well-positioned to use its national and international networks to implement bleeding control education to improve survival and enhance resilience.

Use of a Tourniquet by LIFE STAR Air Medical Crew: A Case Report.

For many years tourniquets were perceived as dangerous due to the belief that they led to loss of limb because of ischemia. Their use in civilian and military environments was discouraged. Emergency medical responders were not taught about tourniquets and commercial tourniquets were not available. However, research by the United States military during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has demonstrated that tourniquets are safe life-saving devices. As a consequence, they have been widely deployed in combat situations and there are now calls for the use of tourniquets in the civilian prehospital setting. This article presents a report of the successful application of a tourniquet by the LIFE STAR crew to control bleeding that local emergency medical services (EMS) personnel could not control with direct pressure. Tourniquets should be readily available in public places and carried by all EMS.