‘Stop the Bleed’ is trauma training for public
A public-health initiative that grew out of one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history could help save lives in Ottawa, starting this fall.
The program called Stop the Bleed, which began in the U.S. after the Sandy Hook school shooting, is being compared to CPR training but for traumatic injuries involving bleeding. The Ottawa Hospital is expecting to launch the program in Ottawa next month, with courses for the public starting soon after.
Making sure bystanders know how to help when someone is bleeding badly could save lives and improve recoveries, said Dr. Jacinthe Lampron, medical trauma director at The Ottawa Hospital.
Mass shooting and casualty incidents, such as the recent shooting in Toronto’s Danforth neighbourhood, underscore the need to provide bystanders with information and equipment — but the skills are likely to be needed in more routine situations, Lampron said.
“Trauma is not always a big event. It could come from daily life. It is unpredictable.”
The training, which will take the form of a one-and-a-half hour course, will help people to assess whether a bleeding injury is lifethreatening and to learn emergency treatment options, including applying pressure, packing a wound and using a tourniquet, if necessary.
As part of the program, trauma kits will be installed around communities where defibrillators are kept, she said. The “stop the bleed” boxes will contain gloves, gauze and tourniquets. Placement of the boxes is still being discussed, she said.
But trainers are already being prepared to run courses for members of the public within a matter of weeks.
Lampron said it is not uncommon for trauma doctors to see people who could have been saved or had better outcomes if they had received immediate treatment from a bystander.
“No one should die from a hemorrhage. If applied well, it can make a total difference between life and death.”
The American College of Surgeons began the program in response to the carnage of gun violence, particularly the Sandy Hook shooting, in which 20 children and six adult staff members were fatally shot by a lone gunman.
During large and small incidents, Lampron said, people often want to help but need some guidance about what to do.
The course will be for people without a medical background and offer simple steps to analyze and deal with the situation, she said.
“We know people want to help, but they may not know what to do. You are more likely to have a better outcome if the person next to you knows what to do,” she said.