A new bleeding control (B-Con) course has been developed in response to the call from the American College of Surgeons (ACS)-led Hartford Consensus for direct training of lay personnel (immediate responders) in external hemorrhage control (see compendium on the ACS website). The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also have been involved in these efforts to increase collaboration between tactical law enforcement, non-tactical law enforcement, fire service, and emergency medical services personnel (professional first responders) when responding to the scene of a casualty incident.
The new B-Con course will be spotlighted at the ACS Theater at the ACS Clinical Congress, October 4–8, in Chicago, IL. This session, which will be presented twice during the Clinical Congress (2:00–2:25 pm, Monday, October 5, and 12:15–12:40 am, Tuesday, October 6) is a preview of the 2.5 hour course that meets the requirements of basic training in hemorrhage control. Course participants will learn fundamental lifesaving medical interventions, including bleeding control with a tourniquet, bleeding control with gauze packets and topical hemostatic agents, and opening an airway properly to allow the victim to breathe.
The B-Con course PowerPoint presentation can be accessed via the ACS website.
