SAN ANTONIO – A group of medical students is showing the community how to help when someone is fighting for their life and possibly bleeding to death.
The students created a training last year after seeing a rise in violent events nationwide.
The medical students from UT Health San Antonio set up sites across the city to inform the public about what to do if they see someone bleeding.
“It started last year in 2018 by a few students from Houston who just pulled it together, saw the need, and now we have gotten funding from the Texas College of Emergency Physicians to expand the program. So, this year, it’s much bigger than last year,” said Meredith Hosek, a medical student at UT Health San Antonio.
The students are part of a medical student-led nonprofit organization called Lone Star Survival Tourniquet Training.
Hosek said the need stems from the rise in the number of mass shootings and other violent events in our communities.
“There have been an increased interest in learning how to do it with the recent occurrences,” Hosek said.
Medical student Christopher Zhu said the procedure involves applying pressure to a wound, with a gauze pad.
“If, after 10 minutes, your patient is still bleeding and EMS has not arrived yet, then that's when you move towards a tourniquet,” Zhu said.