Major Bleed Control

This is the gear first aid kits are made of. When it comes to building a significant first aid kit, your shopping should always start here. Everything else can literally wait.

Tourniquets. Wound Packing and Trauma Dressings

Controlling blood loss after a traumatic injury is critical, and often means the difference between life and death.

Blood loss is a major cause of trauma fatalities – around 40% of trauma deaths are the result of haemorrhage and haemorrhagic shock.

According to guidelines from the Australian Resuscitation Council, if direct pressure does not stop the bleeding, other methods should be used.

The Australian Resuscitation Council recommends using haemostatic gauze for severe and life-threatening bleeding when:

  • the bleeding can’t be stopped by direct pressure and is in a location where using a tourniquet is unsuitable.
  • the bleeding hasn’t been fully controlled by the use of a tourniquet.
  • the bleeding is on an arm or leg but there is no tourniquet available.

Haemostatic dressings can be used on any part of the body to manage blood loss.

That includes areas that are difficult to apply first aid such as the face, scalp wounds and extremity lacerations.

Haemostatic dressings works effectively to stop profuse, persistent and oozing blood flow which can be otherwise hard to treat.

Can a tourniquet save a life?

  • Learning how to apply a tourniquet correctly can save a life by stopping or slowing bleeding until 911 emergency help arrives. Tourniquets are bands that are tied around an arm or leg when bleeding is uncontrollable due to a severe wound like a gunshot, stabbing, or heavy machinery accident.

What is a combat tourniquet used for?

  • A combat tourniquet commonly used by combat medics (military environment) and EMS (civilian environment). A tourniquet is a device that is used to apply pressure to a limb or extremity in order to create ischemia or stopping the flow of blood. It may be used in emergencies, in surgery, or in post-operative rehabilitation.