HALO Chest Seal Named Best Occlusive Dressing By MRT
Halo Chest Seal was recently named the best Occlusive Dressing by Market Research Telecast.
CLICK HERE view MRT’s list of the Top 10 Occlusive Dressings.
DC Police: Quick-Thinking Cop Helped Stop Bleeding, May Have Saved Shot 5-Year-Old’s Life
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — A 5-year-old D.C. boy is recovering after getting caught in the crossfire of a shooting in D.C. Friday afternoon.
The Metropolitan Police Department tells us his condition could have been a lot worse, had it not been for a quick-thinking officer.
MPD Commander Andre Wright says life or death comes down to mere moments.
“We are talking about minutes and when you’re talking about minutes and an individual that may be stabbed or shot and you’re talking about blood loss that’s critical,” he told us.
And on the 1300 block of Congress Street SE Friday, when a little boy was shot in the abdomen while walking to the store with his mom, he was losing blood fast.
A D.C. officer jumped into action before EMTs could get to the scene.
“She looked over and actually saw the young boy fold over and fall to the ground,” Wright said.
She was in the right place at the right time and equipped with a tack kit, which contains equipment to stop bleeding. She used something called a Halo Seal on the boy.
“Like I said, they spring into action, it’s like a second nature when they come on the scene,” he said of the responding officer. “She told me that she’s a mom and even if she was not an officer just seeing a child wounded or gravely injured she would have gotten out and tried to do whatever she could do.”
The boy’s mother told Wright Sunday that he’s doing well and is on his way to a full recovery.
Marinette County Deputy Credited With Saving Gunshot Victim’s Life
MARINETTE — A deputy with the Marinette County Sheriff’s Office was recognized this week for his role in saving the life of a gunshot victim Oct. 6.
Deputy Patrick Callahan received a lifesaving citation and commendation bar to be worn on his uniform, according to a release from Marinette County Sheriff Jerry Sauve.
Callahan responded Oct. 6 to a call about a man shot in the armpit on private land near Moonshine Hill Road, Sauve stated.
Callahan was the first to arrive and made contact with the victim after he removed cattle fencing to allow emergency vehicles to drive onto the land.
Callahan recognized the patient had what is commonly known as a sucking chest wound, Sauve stated. A sucking chest wound occurs when the cavity is punctured, creating a new pathway for air and causing lung collapse.
Using his personal medical supplies, Callahan applied sterile gauze, pressure dressing and a Halo
chest seal — an occlusive dressing which adheres to penetrating chest wounds when fluids such as perspiration and blood are present.
“It is my opinion that Deputy Callahan’s actions saved the life of the patient,” Sauve said in the release. “His response time, quick assessment, preparedness and taking the appropriate action were all factors that made a difference in this event.”
TPD Searching For Shooter In Tulsa Drive-By
The Tulsa Police Department is searching for a suspect after a woman was shot in her driveway near East 41st Place North.
Police say around 6:00 p.m. a driver in a newer model silver Toyota Camry drove by the home twice before someone in the car started firing shots. Police say the woman was standing in front of her house with her teenage son when it happened.
TPD says the woman was hit once in the right side of her chest and as soon as they got to the scene, officers immediately started taking life-saving measures.
“The bullet entered into her chest and exited out of her back. Officers immediately started giving her first aid putting halo patches on the wound to prevent the bleeding. EMSA came and took the victim to the hospital she’s in critical condition,” said Capt. Mike Williams.
Police say they do not have a description of the people in the car, but they do know that it is a newer model silver Camry. If you have any information on this shooting, call Crime Stoppers.
TPD Uses Halo Seal On Young Gunshot Victim
Tulsa police are trying to find the person who shot a 15-year old girl.
They say she was hit in a drive-by shooting while walking home this morning in Turley.
Police say she’s in critical condition.
We know that seconds count in life-saving situations and today was no exception, when a Tulsa officer arrived at the scene where a 15-year-old girl was shot.
A little after 3 a.m., police responding to a home near 57th and Garrison.
“An officer arrived to find a juvenile gunshot victim with a shot to the chest,” Sgt. Brandon Smith said.
That’s when the officer applied a halo seal over the victim’s wound, helping stop the bleeding until EMSA arrived.
“We’ve just had enough situations where police officers were the only ones who could be close to the patients and we’ve learned painfully if they don’t do something, people can die,” Officer Anthony First said.
Officer First trains other officers on battlefield medicine and says in the past, officers refrained from these situations waiting for medics to do their job.
“Today is a little different,” Officer First said. “We’ve had more mass casualty incidents, certainly those attributed to hostile action.”
The Tulsa Police Department began issuing Halo Seals back in 2013 – and First says they’re used frequently.
“There is a little bit of training that comes with it,” Officer First said. “It’s not tough to use but it’s got to be put into context.
The adhesive material is mainly used for penetrating wounds on the chest, side or back area.
“Unfortunately, we’ve hit the apex of what we can do law enforcement-wise for the active shooter,” Officer First said. “Now, we’ve gone into damage mitigation mode.”
Officers are not required to have kits, but officer first says more and more are adding them to their units.
Tucson PD: Individual First Aid Kit Program A Success
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) – The Tucson Police Department has been using the Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) since February 2014 and is declaring the program a success.
All sworn TPD officers have an IFAK in their patrol cars. Inside each IFAK is a tourniquet, Quik-Clot Combat Gauze, HALO Chest Seal and modular bandages. All of the items in the kit allow an officer to stop the bleeding on a victim of a shooting, stabbing or even a car crash.
Since 2014, Tucson police officers have used an item from the kit more than 160 times. According to the city of Tucson website, TPD reported 65 uses in 2014, 88 uses in 2015 and seven times so far this year.
TPD officials report they have seen many successes with the IFAK system since it began, which includes a d rop in the annual number of homicides in comparison to years prior.
According to Tucson police officials, the kit allows the officer to give early medical treatment, that can be potentially lifesaving.
Tulsa Police Officer Describes Saving Man Who Bled From Artery After Fracture
Just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday, a man broke through the glass door of his west Tulsa apartment and fell down a flight of stairs, puncturing an artery in his thigh. Tulsa Police Officers Charles Ramsey and Kevin Tally responded to a call for help at the residence and found the man unconscious and lying in a pool of blood.
Others nearby tried to use towels to stop the bleeding but couldn’t do so successfully. Ramsey, who became a certified EMT in May after training with EMSA personnel, realized the man punctured an artery and knew he may not have enough time to make it to a hospital.
What happened next, police say, likely saved the man’s life.
“We really started hitting on medical training (at the Tulsa Police Department) and officers carrying tourniquets and HALO (chest) seals and things to just kind of do the best that we can and kind of bridge that gap between officers and the time that EMSA and Tulsa advanced medical can arrive,” Ramsey said during a Monday interview. “Myself and Officer Tally put the tourniquet on his high upper thigh. He was unconscious when we were doing it.”
Once the tourniquet was secure, the man awakened slightly and became “somewhat combative,” Maj. Ryan Perkins said in a news release. However, the tourniquet prevented the man from losing too much blood, and the physician who later treated him reported that he had an open leg fracture that severed his artery.
Police did not identify the man Monday.
Many of the department’s officers have had first-aid kits that include tourniquets and HALO chest seals for at least a year, Perkins said, and that, combined with Ramsey’s EMT training, enabled the officer to take quick action.
“When we get there, it may be two or three minutes before EMSA comes in or Tulsa Fire comes in, so we can bridge those critical few minutes from when we get there to when advanced life support gets there,” Ramsey said.
Saturday’s life-saving action was the third by Tulsa police officers that involved an official-issue tourniquet, Perkins said. Previous incidents included a man who was seriously injured in a car accident on the Inner Dispersal Loop and a K-9 dog who was injured while helping an officer in a home raid.
“The reality is that these officers aren’t going to stand by and watch somebody bleed out,” Perkins said. “They’re going to use the equipment to save citizens that are in front of them and need help right now and can’t wait for EMSA or (Tulsa) Fire to get there.”
Ramsey said that although he has previously saved lives while on duty, he does not consider himself to be a hero because protecting others is part of his job. Tulsa World archives show that the former University of Tulsa tight end helped officers and firefighters rescue a woman from a car during a house fire in March 2011.
In that instance, Ramsey and two others broke a window to pull the woman from the vehicle, as she was disoriented and did not know what to do.
She was not injured, and no one was inside the home at the time.
“I’ve been lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time,” Ramsey said. “It’s just having the ability to do it and having the equipment. I can count 700 other officers on this department that would have done the same thing.”
Christus St. Michael Provides Trauma Training for Area Law Enforcement
Christus St. Michael Health System provided more than 300 free trauma kits to area law enforcement agencies today. Dr. James Booker, trauma medical director at St. Michael, led the training which included a video demonstration along with hands-on instruction using high fidelity manikins in the hospital’s simulation center.
“We wanted to provide area police officers with information and hands-on experience as to how to handle an emergency situation while in the field,” said Liberty Bailey, Trauma Program Manager at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System. “Our hope is this training will help to save lives.”
As a first responder, officers must be prepared to handle a number of situations. The trauma kits include a trauma tourniquet, a HALO Chest Seal, a 4×4 gauze, and a carrying pouch.
“An officer can wear the kit as a part of their uniform,” said Bailey.
Area agencies that received the trauma kits include police departments for the cities of Texarkana, Texas, Texarkana, Arkansas, Nash and Wake Village, Miller County Sherif’s office, Bowie County Sheriff’s office, Texarkana Department of Public Safety, and Arkansas State Police Troop G.
Newport News Officer Uses Medical Training, Kit To Help Shooting Victim
Two gel-lined pieces of plastic and the quick thinking of Newport News Police Officer Brendon Walzak may have meant the difference between life and death for a 46-year-old man who was shot in the chest Monday night.
Walzak knew he had to act quickly because the man had suffered a sucking chest wound, which occurs when trauma to the chest causes the lungs to deflate, suffocating the victim. As dispatchers advised that someone needed to apply direct pressure to the wound, Walzak, outfitted with a kit of items to help treat serious injuries, used a device called a HALO Chest Seal — made up of two pieces of plastic with a gel lining — to close it.
The man’s injuries were considered life-threatening when he was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Hospital. Later in the week, police said the man was still in the hospital, though an update on his condition was not available Friday. Police said Walzak’s action may have saved the man’s life.
Walzak said he went on autopilot during the call, relying on his previous training on treating victims with similar injuries.
“If you go home and at the end of the day, one person is safer, one person’s alive, one person sleeps a little better in bed knowing we have officers on the street who do the same thing, it’s worth it,” Walzak said. “It’s what everyone gets in the job wanting to do.”
It was the first time Walzak, who has been a Newport News police officer for only a year, used items from the kit on the job. Along with the HALO Chest Seal, the kit also includes QuikClot Combat Gauze that is used to control bleeding, a combat action tourniquet and a pouch for the items that can be attached to vests police officers wear.
Walzak said he received his kit from Newport News Master Police Detective Matt Overton, who also showed Walzak how to use the items. Overton, an Army medic, and Walzak served in Iraq together in 2011 with the Army National Guard, and Walzak said his military background helped him during Monday’s call, too.
Police officers in Newport News are already issued and trained to use SWAT tourniquets, which stretch and wrap to fit victims of all sizes, and Walzak is leading a push to equip officers with kits like his, which can provide a quick response for victims of traumatic injuries until medics arrive, especially in situations such as mass shootings with many victims, for example. Overton estimates that each kit would cost between $40 and $60, and the department is in the early stages of coming up with a way to acquire them. Currently, officers are allowed to buy their own, though few have them.
Overton, the master tactical medic for the city’s police tactical operations unit, provides tactical trauma life support training to officers, including those on the SWAT team, as well as during police academy. He also provides trauma training to officers in other departments such as York and James City counties through a company he operates.
“If you can save that one life, that’s what matters to us,” Overton said. “I was very proud to hear (of Walzak’s actions),” he said.
3 Tulsa Police Officers Being Hailed As Heroes After Saving Clerk’s Life
TULSA, Okla. – Three Tulsa police officers are being called heroes for their quick action at a gas station shooting.
It happened near 21st and Garnett on Monday night. Customers found the clerk lying on the ground with three bullet wounds.
We’ve learned that officers used a special dressing to stop the bleeding, and to keep the victim alive until EMSA arrived.
Every single Tulsa police officer has a special kit inside their car that has several live-saving items inside. In this case, the officers used halo chest seals to stop the clerk’s bleeding.
Officer Justin Kerns along with Officer Craig Lagrone and David Weakley were presented with a life and death situation on Monday night.
“He had blood on his shirt and he was drifting in and out of consciousness,” says officer Kerns.
Leaping over the counter, the men sprang into action.
“I saw bullet holes one in the right side of his chest area, and the other a little further up around his shoulder,” says Kerns.
Every officer carries an IFAK or an individual first aid kit inside their car. The men were able to grab the halo chest seals and use them to stop the clerk’s bleeding.
“I placed them on the gentleman’s injuries on his bullet holes in the chest and one in the shoulder,” says Kerns.
The seals stop air from going into the wound and also keep out dirt so the victim doesn’t get an infection.
“We kept him alive and kept him responsive and talking until they arrived,” says Kerns.
Officer Kerns tells FOX23 that having these kits inside their cars gives them a tremendous sense of security knowing they can help save a life.
“We’re not just out there finding criminals. Anybody who needs helps, we’re out there to help them,” he says.
Though the clerk’s wounds were life-threatening he is now in stable condition at St. John Medical Center.
Special Operations Team paramedic and officer, Anthony First says because officers like Kerns, Lagrone and Weakley are often first to arrive on scene, it’s vital they can provide some medical care.
One of the most popular items they use to do this are the HALO Chest Seals.
“The goal of any kind of chest injury when you have air and blood in the chest creating problems for the patient, is to just cover the hole,” says First.
First says the officers also rely heavily on the other items in their pack.
“They also have shears in them and some material called quick-clot combat gauze. It’s gauze that has a special chemical on it that stops heavy bleeds. They can literally pack a wound and they’ve done that several times as well and shut down the bleeding with that chemical,” says First.
FOX23 has learned that each pack costs about $45 and can often be the difference between life and death.
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