Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for people ages 1-44 years in the U.S., and it has been since 2005 (see the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control 10 Leading Causes of Death and Injury for more information). Unintentional injury refers to accidents (e.g., car accident) or crime (e.g., injury caused during a break-in). While most injuries do not require a tourniquet, some do. You can save a life by knowing what to do when you are in a situation in which someone is injured.

Tourniquets do save lives. In fact, during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, they have been used to quickly treat severe injuries. As we mentioned in the Get the Facts section, the 75th Army Ranger regiment had a much lower death rate from survivable injuries than units that did not universally train on tourniquet application. More importantly, 94% of soldiers in the 75th Army Ranger Regiment who were treated with tourniquets survived their injuries. Today, tourniquets are supplied in each soldier’s individual first aid kit.

In recent events we have seen combat-type injuries in America. You may be able to save a life if you know how to apply a tourniquet. For instance, police officers often carry Individual First Aid Kits, which include bleeding control devices like tourniquets; by using these kits, police officers were able to save lives in the Louisiana movie theater shooting in 2015. For further information, refer to this article.

In some public places, you will find bleeding control kits with tourniquets and gauze next to AEDs. You might see them in some airports, such as at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in their airport terminal building and facility. You can learn more about other initiatives to provide public access and training on how to stop the bleed here. You can also purchase commercially available tourniquets.

Apply direct pressure. Commercial tourniquets are most effective. If you do not have one available, apply strong direct pressure. Use your hands to apply firm steady pressure until bleeding stops and call 911.

Leave the tourniquet on until medical professionals arrive.

If available, using gloves would be best. However, often no gloves are available. You should wash your hands as soon as possible after handling blood and avoid contact with your mouth and eyes. Your risk of infection from HIV and other blood borne illnesses is very low. In fact, the risk of contracting HIV from infected blood coming into contact with non-intact skin (such as scrapes and lacerations) is less than 0.1%. There is no risk of contracting HIV if infected blood comes into contact with intact skin (Source:CDCCDC). Still, if you are exposed to blood, contact your healthcare provider.

Tourniquets and bleeding control kits are commercially available for purchase. In certain public spaces, bleeding control kits may be available (such as airports).