TrueClot® Hemorrhage Control Training Products to be demonstrated at EMS Today
Michael J. Danilich, PhD, Director of Research, Technology Development Division
Brad Day, Associate Scientist, Biomedical Technologies Group
Luna Innovations will be demonstrating TrueClot® hemorrhage simulation and training products in booth #3132 at the EMS Today Exposition on February 25th – 27th. EMS Today is the Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) Conference and Exposition, and it draws EMS experts from across the United States and around the world. In 2014, TrueClot® Blood Simulant, was chosen to receive a JEMS Hot Product award at EMS Today.
Trade shows such as the EMS Today Exposition have been a critical part of our TrueClot® product development. Luna began previewing TrueClot® Blood Simulant at EMS and military medical trade shows long before the first gallon was sold. The goal at that time was to solicit feedback from real world users of advanced hemostatic dressings, such as QuikClot®. Did the blood simulant look and clot like real blood when packed with TrueClot® Simulated Hemostatic Gauze? Did the “feel” of the blood simulant accurately mimic the slippery yet sticky characteristics of human blood? How important was the ability to remove blood simulant stains from clothes? Feedback led to minor tweaks in color and opacity, the development of a concentrated version of the blood simulant and to Clot Kits designed to allow fabrication of moulage clots, hematomas or avulsed tissue. Surprisingly, the most intense interest and strongest end-user feedback had to do, not with the simulated blood and gauze, but with the crude gunshot wound models that Luna was using to demonstrate wound packing using TrueClot® products. The overwhelming consensus was that the majority of first responder units and training programs could not afford to purchase and maintain high fidelity human patient simulators and instead were looking for an easier and less expensive way to train their first responders on proper wound packing techniques. Used together, Luna’s TrueClot® Blood Simulant and Simulated Hemostatic Gauze provided an excellent simulation of what happens in the field, but the addition of a simple and affordable, but realistic, packable wound was equally important.
This and much more end-user feedback led to Luna’s line of TrueClot® Task Trainers to be sold alongside our blood simulant and simulated hemostatic gauze. Based on customer input, the simulated wounds were adjusted to give a more realistic training experience as Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) and Tactical Emergency Medical Care (TECC) began to make their way into civilian trauma training. Bony landmarks were added to large caliber, high energy gunshot wounds more typical of military casualties. Smaller caliber gunshot wounds and knife lacerations were added to provide task trainers more representative of hemorrhaging wounds encountered in urban areas. The source of bleeding was made more difficult to find and durability was improved. One Fire & Rescue Academy has estimated that they have used individual Luna TrueClot® Task Trainers more than 10,000 times. Because of end-user feedback at trade shows like EMS Today, what started as a single hole in a piece of silicone developed into a line of three wound packing Task Trainers each with a different wound type and features to meet the needs of trauma training professionals. So please stop by the booth and let us know what you think. We’ll be listening.
Recently, the Department of Homeland Security initiated the Stop the Bleed campaign to promote awareness and training “to empower individuals to act quickly and save lives.” Concurrently, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) has 
been conducting Bleeding Control for the Injured (B-Con) courses across the United States as a way “to increase collaboration between law enforcement, the fire service and EMS in responding to active shooter/IED/mass casualty events.” Both of these initiatives highlight the importance of hemorrhage control and wound packing skills to both EMS professionals and civilian bystanders. TrueClot® Blood Simulant, Simulated Hemostatic Gauze and Task Trainers have been playing an important role in this training. A recent B-Con course held at Prince George Fire and EMS, sponsored by Southside Regional Medical Center was free to the public and featured TrueClot® products at the wound packing and B-Con skills stations.
For more information on our TrueClot® line of hemorrhage control and wound packing training products please visit www.trueclot.com.
