Doctor’s revolutionary technique to stop blood loss after shark bite

An emergency department doctor says he’s developed a new, simple way to help save the lives of victims of shark attacks at crucial times after a bite.

The technique is described in an article published in the journal Australasian emergency medicine and works closing the femoral artery to prevent a person from bleeding quickly.

The application of the technique is based on a second person clenches their fist and presses it against the person’s groin in the center between the hip bone and the genitals.

From there, they just need to lock their right arm and use their body weight to apply pressure until the blood flow to the wound stops.

Following these steps saves the victim time when seeking help.

Dr Nicholas Taylor, associate dean of ANU School of Medicine, surfer and lead author of the study, said he began to develop the idea after a family vacation to Western Australia at a time when there had been a series of shark attacks.

“I was looking for ways to make myself a bit more shark proof”, of.

After talking to surfers and lifeguards, he found that most instinctively react to a shark bite when they by pressing it directly or by trying to make a tourniquet with the material they had on hand.

Taylor said his emergency room training taught him it would be a mistake.

“A shark bite is a terrible sawing motion and putting pressure on it won’t work,” noted. “And it would be great if all surfers had a tourniquet, but that is not going to happen.”

I thought of a better solution it would cut off the blood flow to the femoral artery as taught in medical schools and practiced in emergency departments.

To test the technique’s effectiveness, Taylor helped organize a study of 34 healthy volunteers. While the sample size was small, it was more than double that of the 16 participants that a recommended pilot study was needed to be statistically significant.

Participants were not given any prior training or instruction on how to apply the maneuver before attempting it, and the results were compared to the effects of using a makeshift tourniquet on the rope of the leg of the leg. surfboard.

Closure of the femoral artery stopped all blood flow to the leg in three out of four participants, while the use of a tourniquet reduced blood flow by 43.8%. Ultrasound has been used to measure the speed of blood flow in the artery and in the limb.

The researchers also tested whether a wetsuit could make things difficult, but found that it made no difference.

Now Taylor says he wants to see the revolutionary technique incorporated into first aid training, and to help him, he has developed a mnemonic to remember the process: “Push hard between the hips and the parts”.

However, for this to happen, it would first have to be approved by the Australian Resuscitation Council and incorporated into its guidelines for the management of bleeding wounds.

Anthony Brown, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Queensland who was not involved in the study, told the Guardian that the new approach was’ brilliant ‘and should be considered for inclusion in first aid training programs, especially to save surfers’ lives but also for the community as a whole.

“It’s a fantastic idea to save lives. Nothing else helps so much “, Dr Brown said. “By the time you need to give mouth-to-mouth or CPR in a shark attack, it’s too late. It means the person has bled”.

Compared to applying pressure to the wound itself, Dr Brown said that this technique would be more effective, because it would avoid the possible reopening of arteries which could have been closed because of a spasm.

“Your only priority should be to stop the bleeding and wait for help ”, Explain. “You’re kinda screwed if you’re the only one there, but usually there’s someone else to help you.” No one sails alone”.

KEEP READING