BELMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WTRF) – One of the leading causes of death among trauma patients is bleeding.
Many of those deaths could be prevented.
That’s why a doctor and staff members from WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital visited Bridgeport High School on Tuesday to teach Stop The Bleed.
Dr. James Comerci said first responders don’t always actually get there first.
Even before the e-squad arrives, he explained “immediate responders” are often there on the scene already. They could be spouses, parents, classmates or co-workers.
That’s why Stop The Bleed teaches people of all ages how to apply compression, pack a wound or put on a tourniquet.
We try to get some of the immediate responders, people on the scene, trained on how to stop bleeding. Now this can happen, not only in schools, for example where we are now, but at home, on the farm, traffic accidents, hunting accidents. We can teach other folks to help but we can also teach the individual to learn to control their own bleeding.
Dr. James Comerci, WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital
He said a lot of people know CPR, but that won’t help someone who is bleeding.
Serious can happen during activities like using a chain saw, falling through a window, even washing dishes when a glass suddenly breaks.
Dr. Comerci said the first thing to do is to call 911. Then apply pressure with anything from a towel to a coat.
He urges everyone to check out the website stopthebleed.org.
