Each year, emergency rooms across the United States see roughly 70 trauma cases in which a patient arrives at the hospital wearing a tourniquet.
The number is minuscule, given that 2.3 million Americans are hospitalized each year for trauma. But military physicians say more lives would be saved if members of the general public had access to, and knew how to use, tourniquets.
Speaking Wednesday from the Military Health System Research Symposium in Kissimmee, Florida, Defense Department combat trauma experts said the skill should be as widely taught as basic first aid and CPR, especially with mass shootings and terrorist attacks on the rise.
“We are after ‘zero preventable deaths’ from trauma injury … it’s our cancer moon shot. Is it a long stretch? Is it a high goal? Yes, but it’s not any different to me than saying we are going to cure cancer in five years,” Air Force Col. Todd Rasmussen said.
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5 comments:
Any places on the Shore that teach this?
It's an optional course in Red Cross first responder training, but I don't know if they teach it here. They should if they don't.
Is it part of BLS or subsequent training through MFRI, does anyone know?
Maryland Protocol for EMS providers had taken tourniquets out of the protocols several years ago. I think they are back in the protocol these days.
This was taught as a basic first aid measure in the Boy Scout manual of old.
All of us learned it.
Hard to tell what they're teaching now.
Same here. Teach it in school. Not much else these kids learn can save a life. Just as important is basic rescue methods because if you jump before looking or thinking you can quickly become victim #2.
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