CHICAGO — Traumatic injuries that cause uncontrolled bleeding are a leading cause of preventable death for people of all ages throughout the country. In recognition of National STOP THE BLEED® Month this May, the American College of Surgeons (ACS) encourages everyone to learn how to save a life with three simple steps using ACS STOP THE BLEED training.
“Injuries that cause severe bleeding can happen anytime and can become life-threatening within a matter of minutes,” said Executive Director & CEO of the ACS Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS. “The ACS STOP THE BLEED program empowers everyone, including those with no prior medical knowledge or experience, to learn simple techniques to help control bleeding before professional help arrives.”
Empowering Communities to STOP THE BLEED
Using customized training materials developed with input from multiple medical specialties, including trauma surgeons and emergency medicine personnel, the ACS STOP THE BLEED program teaches the public how to recognize and respond to a bleeding emergency. Since 2017, the ACS STOP THE BLEED program has trained nearly 4 million individuals and continues to grow at the local, national, and global levels. It is frequently referred to as the “CPR of bleeding” as efforts continue to make this critical knowledge ubiquitous around the world.
During a compact course that lasts about an hour, attendees are taught to follow three simple steps after ensuring that the scene is safe and calling 911: apply direct pressure to the wound, pack the wound with gauze or clothing, and apply a tourniquet if the injury is to an arm or a leg and the wound continues to bleed. These techniques help control bleeding and can save lives by preventing catastrophic blood loss.
Recent Highlights of STOP THE BLEED
- Updated image-focused course: An updated version of the STOP THE BLEED course will be launched in the fall to help facilitate training and increase accessibility among people of all backgrounds.
- Lobbying to save lives: The ACS continues to advocate for legislation that helps increase access to bleeding control education and kits at the state level. In late March, Washington State passed legislation mandating that schools in the state maintain and provide bleeding control equipment on campus. Similar legislation has been passed in 13 other states.
- Collaborative input: The ACS also supports the 50th anniversary of National EMS Week, which will be held from May 19-25 and recognizes the extraordinary everyday impact of emergency medical personnel. Follow the conversation on the ACS Twitter and Instagram accounts, and join the conversation on social media by using #NSTBM.
Available for Interviews
The ACS has experts available to discuss STOP THE BLEED and its impact throughout communities:
- Kenji Inaba, MD, FACS (English interviews): Dr. Inaba is chair of the STOP THE BLEED Committee for the ACS Committee on Trauma and chief of trauma at the Los Angeles General Medical Center of the University of Southern California. A trauma expert who led collaborative input on an updated version of the STOP THE BLEED course, Dr. Inaba can speak to all aspects of trauma care and bleeding control: “The American College of Surgeons STOP THE BLEED program arms people with the knowledge and technical abilities to truly make a difference in a person’s life if a bleeding emergency occurs. I think that realization is a profoundly positive and empowering experience for everyone who takes the course.”
- George W. Contreras, MPH, MS, RN (English and Spanish interviews): Mr. Contreras is an ACS STOP THE BLEED instructor and dean of the School of Health Sciences and Wellness at SUNY Westchester Community College in New York. A registered nurse and paramedic, Mr. Contreras has witnessed how bleeding control education can be transformative for individuals around the globe, including for a lifeguard in Ecuador who recently used the skills he learned from STOP THE BLEED to help save a woman’s life after she was injured in a vehicle collision: “If we lose too much blood and it is not controlled, someone can die within minutes from a severe bleeding injury. The steps taught in a STOP THE BLEED course can help keep a person from losing vital blood, which is necessary to perfuse all the organs and cells in our bodies.”
Journalists may contact pressinquiry@facs.org to schedule an interview about STOP THE BLEED. More information on STOP THE BLEED, including how to sign up for a course or purchase a bleeding control kit, is available at stopthebleed.org.
