Luna’s TrueClot® enables more realistic training

Michael J. Danilich, PhD Director, Biomedical Technologies Law enforcement officers are often the first to arrive on the scene of a shooting or motor vehicle accident and must be prepared to treat hemorrhage to save lives. For this reason, many municipalities across the United States stock hemostatic bandages, such as QuickClot® or Celox™ Rapid, to pack wounds and treat (or self-treat) hemorrhage. Hemostatic bandages contain polysaccharide or silicate compounds that make blood clot more quickly than it normally would. When blood clots faster, less blood is lost and the victim has a better chance to survive. Although improper wound packing and hemostasis can lead to loss of life, training in the use of life-saving hemostatic bandages often goes no further than a manufacturer-supplied, computer-based certification course and/or a brief lecture with a few slides. Proficiency in wound packing and hemorrhage control requires more realistic, scenario-based training. Some training takes steps towards this goal, but most simulated blood products tend to be very unrealistic, amounting to little more than homemade concoctions or low-fidelity theatrical stage blood.  Missing are common characteristics of blood including its sticky yet slippery feel, color, opacity, and, most importantly, the way that it clots or “cakes,” especially when treated with advanced hemostatic bandages. In part because of an inability to train effectively, many local forces are not carrying life-saving hemostatic bandages. In addition, most municipalities can’t afford highly realistic and rugged human patient simulators or trauma training manikins. Luna’s TrueClot® line of hemorrhage training products enables effective training in the life-saving skill of wound packing with hemostatic dressings. TrueClot® Blood Simulant is the most realistic simulated blood available today. It is safe, non-biologic and easy to clean. Most importantly, TrueClot® forms realistic simulated blood clots when used together with TrueClot® Simulated Hemostatic Gauze, a cost-effective mock-up of hemostatic bandages used in the field. Luna’s hemorrhage control task trainers provide a simple, easy to use and affordable platform for wound packing simulation. EMS, paramedic, law enforcement and other first responder trainees can receive realistic, hands-on wound packing simulation for about $5 per training experience.

A growing list of police, fire & rescue, border patrol and other units have added TrueClot® to their training and all report excellent results. Bill Janson, President of Eleven 10 LLC recently remarked, “We’re a medical kit manufacturer that services the law enforcement and military markets. We recently purchased the Task Trainer kit for our own internal training purposes. We’re more than impressed with the product and feel this is an invaluable training tool especially for our law enforcement customers who carry hemostatic agents, but have no training in their usage…guys were floored at the realism…As more and more folks learn about this trainer, the more interest it’s generating…More and more departments locally are starting to carry hemostatic agents, but most have no idea on how to actually pack a wound.” TrueClot® makes realistic training on hemostatic bandages accessible to law enforcement and EMS providers at the local level.  TrueClot® will be exhibited at EMS Today: The JEMS Conference and Exposition, February 26-28 at the Baltimore Convention Center. TrueClot® won a “JEMS Hot Product” award at last year’s EMS Today show. Stop by booth 1824 or visit www.trueclot.com and find out more.