Efficacy of Prehospital Application of Tourniquets and Hemostatic Dressings To Control Traumatic External Hemorrhage

In the United States, data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that traumatic injuries in 2008 accounted for 181,226 deaths. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle crashes in 2010 were responsible for 32,885 deaths and 2,239,000 injures. In contrast in the same year interpersonal violence and falls were responsible for 20,000 and 31,600 deaths, respectively. Death from road injuries was the fifth leading cause of death, exceeded only by death from ischemic heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Some of these injury-related deaths are due to traumatic external hemorrhage and exsanguination. An analysis by Kauvar et al. of the National Trauma Data Bank for the years 2002–2005 found a 2.8% death rate among patients with an “isolated lower extremity trauma with an arterial component.” Among the same set of patients, 6.5% suffered amputations. The authors suggested that deaths from traumatic external hemorrhage and exsanguination may be preventable with better prehospital control of hemorrhage. The purpose of this evidence report is to present a systematic review and assessment of the biomedical and clinical literature describing prehospital treatment of external hemorrhage caused by traumatic injury. The primary focus of the report is the efficacy of prehospital application of tourniquets and hemostatic dressings to control traumatic external hemorrhage. The need for a systematic review and evidence analysis on this topic was conceived by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) during discussions with trauma stakeholders and other Federal agencies.

• Record URL:
  https://www.ems.gov/pdf/research/Studies-and-Reports/Prehospital_Applications_Of_Tourniquest_And_Hemostatic_Dressings.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Snyder, D
  • Tsou, A
  • Schoelles, K
• Publication Date: 2014-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 147p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bleeding; Crash injuries; Emergency medical services; Fatalities; Literature reviews; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01653204
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT HS 811 999b
• Contract Numbers: DTNH22-11-C-00223
• Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Dec 5 2017 3:33PM