Saving lives through active bleeding control

Secunderabad: India has one of the highest road trauma deaths in the world. Uncontrolled bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death, accounting for 40 per cent of the fatalities. Although the country is committed to halving the number of these deaths by 2020, very few victims currently receive life-saving 'Active Bleeding Control – to stop the bleed' care at the scene.

GVK EMRI launched the phase 1 of pilot project ABC in March 2018 in Medchal in collaboration with PediSTARS, Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia, transport department and traffic police, Public Health Foundation of India, Road Safety Club (Hyderabad), General Aeronautics and UPennGlobal-UniversityPennsylvania (USA).

The ABC pilot project was launched with financial support from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Two corridors with high accident rates have been chosen for the pilot project in Medchal. Since the project launch, 1,000 volunteers from the community have been trained on how to stop uncontrolled hemorrhageand have received ABC kit. Volunteers trained so far 189 citizens, 351 auto drivers, 114 students, doctors, RTC staff, residents, teachers, 104 college staff, 54 bus drivers, 21 shopkeepers, 51 toll plaza (ORR) staff etc.

These ABC volunteers have saved 24 lives until now. Since it may be difficult for kits to be provided at every accident site, the second phase of the project is experimenting with ambulance dispatchers, sending a special drone to drop the ABC Stop The Bleed kit at the accident site.

Indian Institute of Science and General Aeronautics are helping with this unique project. Using the camera "eye" of the drone, the ambulance dispatcher will give telephonic advice to the bystander on how to stop bleeding using the ABC kit. Phase II was launched on March 6 at GVK-EMRI. Close to 100 volunteers were present. Emotions were high when three auto drivers who saved lives shared their experience.

They were felicitated. Dr GV Ramana Rao, Director, National EMLC & Research at GVK EMRI, observed that, "Every citizen should be trained in ABC because it is a life-saving programme." According to Dr Vinay Nadkarni, Chair, Anaesthesiology, Critical Care & Paediatrics, Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, "People want to help but do not know how to stop the bleed and are afraid of making mistake.

There is a need for everyone to get trained in ABC. You can be the help until help arrives and every citizen has the power to do extraordinary things." Amarkanth Reddy, Additional DCP Traffic, Balanagar, commented that, "police arrive before ambulance and can help victims within minutes. They can save many lives by learning Active Bleeding Control." He said he would help mobilise his team to partner with precious ABC project. Dr Shailaja, Associate Professor, PHFI, Hyderabad, says: "The programme is unique because it involves direct community involvement and empowering lay public.

We are collecting data from volunteers, learning barriers and challenges for helping accident victims." Dr Geethanjali, an intensive care doctor and co-founder of PediSTARS India, informed that, "India loses a precious life every 4 minute to road accident. We can save more lives in hospital and have meaningful survival only by training bystanders how to stop the bleed at the scene as every minute after trauma counts." Dr Dinesh Chirla, Director, Intensive Care, Rainbow Children's Hospital, noted that, "many times, it is too late when bleeding victims come to hospital as their brain can be damaged due to low blood pressure.

We are going to partner with ABC team and train as many citizens as possible in ABC as this is the need of the hour." Dr Ramashesan, Chief Operating Officer, General Aeronautics, says, "sending drones to drop life-saving ABC kits is a unique programme.

We have partnered with ABC programme to manufacture drones and are working on obtaining permission to fly the drones." Manideep, a volunteer at Road Safety Club, stated: "The club has been working with hundreds of school children and teachers apart from citizens to prevent road accident deaths. Now joining ABC team to stop the bleed will help to save thousands of lives. Many citizens would want to help but they are afraid of law. We are creating awareness about the Supreme Court order "Good Samaritan law" which protects the public who help accident victim from court or questioning from police."

- NAVEEN YANDAPALLI