Toronto hospital teaches the public how to 'stop the bleed'

CTV News Channel: 'Stop the Bleed' training Sunnybrook Trauma Services Manager Sharon Ramagnano discusses how the public can help people in emergency situations.

A Toronto trauma hospital is trying to save lives by teaching members of the public how to stop uncontrolled bleeding after car crashes, stabbings and shootings like the one that shook the city on Sunday night.

Last year, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre became the first Canadian hospital to offer a training program called Stop the Bleed. The program was developed by the American College of Surgeons and the Hartford Consensus after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., that left 26 people dead.

Sharon Ramagnano, Sunnybrook’s trauma services manager, told CTV News Channel that gunshot victims with traumatic bleeding can die in as little as five minutes and that is not always quick enough for ambulances to arrive.

“The public is the first responder for a good 10 to 12 minutes on most occasions,” she said.

The program teaches “how to put pressure at certain points and how to stuff things into wounds that are deep to ensure that you have adequate bleeding control” Ramagnano added.

The hospital has already trained staff at Toronto’s city hall, the regional transit agency Metrolinx, the Toronto Blue Jays and local universities. It also offers the service to high school classes.

Members of the general public can sign up for a 90-minute course delivered monthly at the hospital, at a cost of $50.

Ramagnano said that those who can’t take the course can learn how to stop bleeding online at BleedingControl.org.