My Champlain Valley – by Rebecca Reese
Burlington, Vt. – According to the Department of Homeland Security, a person bleeding can die from blood loss after just five minutes. This makes it crucial to be able to stop bleeding as quickly as possible.
A tourniquet, or an item such as a belt or tie used as one, cuts off blood flow from a serious injury until professional help is available. The University of Vermont Medical Center is working on a way to streamline this medical tool for the public.
Following recent reports of violence, Doctor Ajai Malhotra said, “In these types of sad events a place can be put on lock down. So the people that can help you are outside, while the incident where it has happened and maybe injuries are inside.”
As a precaution in these situations, doctors are pushing ‘Stop Bleeding Kits’ filled with a tourniquet, Quick Clot gauze, gloves and other supplies to tend to a serious wound. “They are very effective in stopping external bleeding,” Malhotra said.
He said the process is easy and something everyone can do. As Malhotra demonstrated he explained that to stop bleeding you push the arm through the tourniquet. “The trick is to apply it, tighten it and then really tighten it,” he said. It will hurt, but that means the tourniquet is on correctly.
Malhotra said that the UVM Medical Center is working to start a program that will provide education and the kits to schools.
More information can be found at https://www.dhs.gov/stopthebleed.
http://www.mychamplainvalley.com/news/uvm-medical-center-pushing-life-saving-tools/741583057
folks…..on this very site is a sponsor called ‘doom and bloom’….they sell tourniquets … just saying