The ‘Stop the Bleed’ Campaign was spearheaded and launched by the White House in 2015. The campaign is the government’s initiative to involve the public in serving their fellow citizens. It’s a move to answer the need for bystanders to help in accidents and emergencies.
Furthermore, it calls for public assistance to help patients in critical emergencies. The program is to train all capable individuals in medical first aid, particularly on how to stop or reduce a patient’s bleeding until medical professionals arrive.
Many states were alarmed by the recurrence of emergency situations, particularly vehicular accidents, wherein bystanders who tried helping the injured persons, caused more damage to the situation due to the lack of knowledge on how to go about saving the person. In addition, in isolated places where it will take more than 30 minutes for medics to arrive, victims usually die without a fight for their lives.
That said, this capability training makes individuals competent and handle situations, especially if they witness an accident and someone is seriously bleeding. In this skills orientation, volunteers are instructed to perform three short measures to reduce significant bleeding in an emergency rescue situation.
What Are The Three Measures To Reduce Bleeding?
- Stop Or Reduce Bleeding With Pressure Application
- Clean The Wound With Clean Water
- Apply Antibiotics To Protect Wound From Infection
Medical rescue personnel and volunteers use Stop the Bleed kits and on-hand devices to effectively stop or reduce bleeding during emergencies. The ‘Stop the Bleed’ Campaign responders are trained in using these medical devices. The Stop the Bleed kit has three types, basic, intermediate, and advanced pieces of medical supplies.
Emergency rescue groups and their rescuers always look for reliable brands to purchase Stop the Bleed kits. It’s not only to be used during community emergencies but also as a precaution should an emergency happen at home or at work.
Basic Contents Of Stop The Bleed Kits
- Stop The Bleed Instruction Pamphlet
Take a good read of all the instructions on using each medical item in the kit in this pamphlet. It’s a good source of information about how to be of good help to severely bleeding patients.
- Tourniquet
A tourniquet is used to squeeze and apply pressure to the patient’s blood vessels to stop the bleeding. It’s usually used as a first-aid tool to minimize blood flow and prevent blood loss before medics arrive in emergencies.
- Gloves
The injury needs attention, not complication. Gloves are worn by the medical responders during rescue operations to protect the patient from getting an infection.
- Compressed Gauze
A compressed gauze is placed on the wound to reduce or stop bleeding. Pressure is applied to it until the bleeding stops. It’s also used to dress the injury.
- Emergency Bandage
There’s a need for more bandages every time there’s an emergency treatment needed. Responders are trained to use it effectively as a tool to protect the wound from exposure to the elements and prevent infection.
- Trauma Shears
Shears are used in cutting the victim’s clothing to clearly see the wound or injury. It’s being done to figure out what medical device can be used to stop the bleeding. And to determine which wound should be primarily attended to.
- Permanent Marker
Emergency professionals must be informed when the tourniquet was applied before the patient reached the hospital. A permanent marker is used to place time in the tourniquet area in the most visible way. And a permanent marker would be the best to use for it. Because important notes to medical professionals are critical to immediately help the victim.
All these contents must be inside the Stop the Bleed kit. However, the intermediate and advanced kits have more devices and items to be used in trauma emergencies. Individuals trained under the Stop the Bleed Campaign are careful when choosing which equipment and supplies to purchase.
These volunteers may have been taught some first aid skills to help the severely wounded, but they need the right medical supplies and devices to be of help. And if you’re one of those responsible and concerned citizens, make sure you have helpful emergency supplies you can rely upon in emergency cases.
Tips In Choosing The Right Stop The Bleed Kit
- Go For Known Brands
‘Stop the Bleed’ kit brands are always available in medical supply chains or stores. Purchase medical supplies from reputable brands that have been used by medical professionals. These brands can be relied upon to supply you with an effective Stop the Bleed kit.
Medical supplies that are widely used have good reasons why they stay in the market. Government regulations ensure that only those trusted brands remain to effectively serve their purpose. And the most recognized medical supplies brands have passed the exact standards of the medical field.
So, it’s always advisable to go for well-known brands when buying your medical kit.
- Scout For Reliable Products
If you’re looking for the items to fill your personal bleeding control kit, you can go to medical supply shops. You can choose your own medical devices there, and you can even ask the assistance of sales personnel on how to use each of them properly.
Buying your own medical supplies is more advantageous because you’re able to check each one for ease of handling. You can fill your custom-made kit with all that you need and make it ready to respond to medical emergencies, from basic to more advanced medical needs.
- Ask For A Recommendation
Stop the Bleed is a government project, and it’s expected that there will be government and non-government entities responsible for ensuring the reliability of medical products launched in the market. These entities may have recommendations regarding brands or kinds of medical supplies that may complete your bleeding prevention kit.
Some recommendations may come from seasoned volunteers who have tried using many brands. These users have already experienced some brands that won’t work and some brands that are really reliable that they can highly recommend to you.
- Check The Inventory
Stop the Bleed kit is not only used to help during bleeding incidents. It may be filled with necessary medical supplies for other medical emergencies. Some kits even have medicines and gadgets required to ensure patient safety and stability.
Check all the contents of the supplies in the kit. Ensure that all can be used in any emergency. It’s vital that all items may be quickly filled up or replaced immediately. Because you’ll never know how soon the next need may arise.
The medical devices you have should also be tested before their actual use. Knowing how to use them is different if they are not functioning well. Check for product expiry. The products in the kit might have expired and already have some components that will increase the risk for your bleeding patient.
Other On-Hand Medical Devices And Supplies You May Need
- Tight Bands
Tight bands are needed during injury rescue operations. They’re used to stop the bleeding as tourniquets by trained first aid responders. You can use these bands if you’ve had the proper training to use them properly.
- Collapsible Or Retractable Splints
These splits are used to immobilize the patient’s affected or injured limb after the bleeding has been stopped by first aid. It’s to ensure that the tourniquet or bandages may not be dislocated due to the patient’s sudden movements. The injured limb’s immobility must be maintained until the patient is moved to the emergency room.
- Bottled Water
You need water to clean the wound. It’s handy to have clean water in your kit when responding to an emergency. In cases of severe blood injury, it’s tough to ascertain the exact location of the wound.
Available water to immediately wash away blood or dirt will help you determine which wound to attend to first and how to stop its bleeding. Additionally, cleaning the wound with clean water will also help remove some particles that may infect the wound before applying antibiotics to protect the injury from infection.
- Medical Alert Device
No matter where you are, it’s better to have a medical alert device to alert the nearest hospital whenever emergencies arise, especially if it’s a severe bleeding emergency. It’s a lot of help if professional medical service can respond immediately to a timely call where patient survival depends.
This device may also be intended for personal use. Still, you can use it to call on emergency response teams in case you have a severely injured patient with you.
- Folding Spine Board
A folding spine board will be helpful when there’s a need for the patient to be immobile, particularly during vehicular accidents. It’s the best position for the patient to be laid and strapped in a spine board to prevent movement that may cause more damage, especially unseen fractures or internal bleeding.
The folding spine board may take a lot of space in your kit, but it’s beneficial in your endeavor to help save lives.
In Summary
Accidents happen at a most inopportune time. People never wish for accidents to happen. But when it does, there should be a skilled person who can respond to it. Helping someone and saving a life is a vocation that not all may want to engage in. But for some who vowed to give out that most needed help, being prepared for the worst is the most favorable option. Ensuring that you have a complete set of medical paraphernalia in your Stop the Bleed kit will surely help give someone another chance in life.
