Safety Buzz: After Boston Marathon Bombings, Tourniquets Make Comeback

If done properly, a once avoided medical triage technique can save lives

No one wants to find themselves in the situation where they have to administer a tourniquet, the medical triage technique that prevents major blood loss from wounds and limbs. After the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday, where many victims lost limbs, but not their lives because of quick-thinking first responders, tourniquets are being cast in a different light. “Clearly if a leg is blown off, it’s OK to go straight to tourniquet,” Dr. Richard Bradley, a member of the Red Cross’s scientific advisory council, told The Associated Press. Belts, shirts and other materials can be used to tie off bleeding limbs. Tourniquets should be at least one and a half inches wide and pulled very tight to shut off blood flow. But doctors, citing some evidence that improperly applied tourniquets can worsen a patient’s condition, advise direct pressure – placing a hand and cloth martial over the wound – in less extreme situations. At Monday’s marathon in Boston, at least 170 people near the finish line were injured. Three spectators died and 13 people lost one or more limbs. (AP)

View an instructional video on tourniquets below:

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Red Cross Fires Back at Critics of Hurricane Sandy Response

Reps call response 'near perfect'

After taking criticism for a less-than-stellar response to Hurricane Sandy, the American Red Cross is pushing back against critics. In fact, the organization's CEO says its relief effort has been “near flawless."

Gail McGovern, chief executive officer and president of the Red Cross, told NBC News late last week that the response has been timely and well-organized.

“I think that we are near flawless so far in this operation,” McGovern said.

[ALSO READ: Public Housing Residents in NYC Stuck Without Power Since Hurricane Sandy]

Laura Howe, a spokeswoman for the organization, concurred. She said that the dense population of New York City and nearby affected areas, as well as the cold-weather hurricane, created unique and significant challenges to the response.

We are “putting our resources where the need is greatest,” Howe said.

[ALSO READ:Nor'Easter Forces Mass Evacuations, Flight Cancelations in N.Y., N.J.]

She also noted that this was the largest domestic disaster the Red Cross has dealt with since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf coast and that the organization is deploying its entire fleet of more than 320 feeding trucks and sending nearly 6,000 relief workers to the devastated areas, mainly in New Jersey and New York.

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