Stop the Bleed : Preparing Bystanders to Manage Life-Threatening Hemorrhage
By Janice Hawkins , Heather Killion , Brandon Sparrer , and Lynn Wiles
Do you know what to do if you encounter someone with life-threatening bleeding ? Accidents
can happen at home , on the road , or in the workplace ; it is important to know how to act quickly with the appropriate supplies needed to save a life .
Traumatic injuries cause more than five million deaths annually ( WHO , 2014 ). The leading cause of preventable death after trauma is uncontrolled bleeding that could be treated with swift intervention by bystanders and first responders ( Jacobs , 2013 ). Exsanguination can occur in less than a minute ; therefore , it is important to stop blood loss quickly .
Nursing students at Old Dominion University ( ODU ) used a Marilyn Bagwell Leadership Development Grant to offer Stop the Bleed ® ( STB ) training and to distribute emergency supplies to course participants throughout Virginia .
STB is a national awareness campaign inspiring grassroots effort to encourage bystanders to become trained , equipped , and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency ( Department of Homeland Security , 2018 ). STB courses represent “ best practice ” recommendations in the management of life-threatening hemorrhage from extremity injuries ( American College of Surgeons , 2019 ). One goal of STB is to reduce the number of patient deaths due to blood loss by 20 % within five years ( Roissaint , 2013 ).
The STB training program includes didactic and hands on components . Didactic content consists of a standardized , prescriptive PowerPoint presentation provided at no-cost to instructors ( American College of Surgeons , 2020 ). Trainers demonstrate proper tourniquet application and bleeding control measures at designated stopping points throughout the presentation . Learners are then paired in a 5:1 ratio with trainers to practice and return demonstrate bleeding control techniques .
Old Dominion University Project Overview The STB initiative at ODU began as a community service project in 2017 and was expanded in 2019 with a Marilyn Bagwell Leadership Development Grant funded by the Foundation of the National Student Nurses ’ Association ( FNSNA ). The grant provided senior-level nursing students the opportunity to develop leadership skills by collaborating with community partners to plan and implement STB courses . The $ 2,500 award directly supported supplies needed to respond to a bleeding control emergency .
Using grant funds , we purchased supplies and created 200 kits consisting of a combat application tourniquet , hemostatic gauze , scissors , gloves , a sharpie , and a 4 ” x 6 ” diagram demonstrating proper use of each piece of equipment . Though previous students provided the STB training , course participants were not equipped with the resources to manage hemorrhage once they left the classroom . This year , armed with the new kits , course participants are now equipped with the knowledge and resources necessary to save a life , thus increasing the likelihood of action in the instance of casualty .
34 NSNA IMPRINT n NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 n www . nsna . org