Stop The Bleed: Tourniquets

Our Communications Director, Ashley McCully, is the wife of a Marine, sister of a police officer, daughter of a doctor, and mom - she’s pretty tough, which is why we were surprised when she almost got sick after watching the blood loss video we show to our medical professional students. It became clear that we needed a new way to deliver the message to people who want to understand the nature of a trauma injury without losing their lunch. This less graphic demonstration uses water on pavement:

 

 

Trauma surgeons have said they cannot save a patient who does not make it to their operating room. According to a 2011-2016 study by the Texas Tourniquet Study Group, victims who did not receive a tourniquet were more than five times more likely to die from blood loss than those who had a tourniquet applied. 

“If lives can be saved on the scene and those patients can get to the Emergency Room, they can receive live-restoring blood products like plasma, platelets, and whole blood. We must stop the bleed and we must keep our blood banks filled,” said McCully. “The two efforts go hand-in-hand.”

How many times have we thought, “I should give blood but…”? But I hate needles; But I can’t stand the sight of blood; But I don’t have an hour to spare; But I had a bad experience one time; But I’m on this medication. We all have our reasons, but there are more reasons to give than to avoid.

 Did you know one donation can save three lives? According to the Red Cross, someone needs blood every two seconds in the US - that’s almost 36,000 (thirty-six THOUSAND) units of red blood cells needed every single day! Whether it’s a trauma victim, chemotherapy patient, or child with sickle cell anemia, lives are saved every day thanks to blood donors. Science cannot manufacture blood, plasma, or platelets, which is why volunteers are crucial.