Bleeding Control

Bleeding Control Kits — Stop the Bleed Supplies for Hemorrhage Emergency Response

Bleeding control kits — sometimes called "bleeding control stations" or "Stop the Bleed kits" — provide the critical supplies needed for immediate bystander hemorrhage control before emergency medical services arrive, addressing the leading cause of preventable death in trauma: uncontrolled hemorrhage. The Stop the Bleed initiative, launched by the American College of Surgeons and endorsed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has driven widespread deployment of bleeding control kits in schools, businesses, public venues, and government facilities alongside existing AED programs, recognizing that trained bystander hemorrhage control in the first few minutes after injury can be the difference between survival and death from blood loss.

The three core interventions taught in Stop the Bleed training correspond directly to the core contents of a bleeding control kit. Direct pressure using gloved hands or a packed wound dressing controls bleeding from most wounds; compressible wounds in the torso, neck, and groin where tourniquets cannot be applied require wound packing with hemostatic gauze to achieve hemorrhage control when direct pressure alone is insufficient. Tourniquets — the Combat Application Tourniquet (CAT) or SOFTT-Wide — provide definitive hemorrhage control for extremity injuries when applied properly above the wound, windlassed tight enough to stop arterial flow. Pressure dressings secured over packed wounds maintain pressure after the first responder leaves the patient to call for help or attend to additional victims.

Hemostatic gauze — gauze impregnated with kaolin (QuikClot) or chitosan (HemCon) — accelerates clot formation in wounds that are not amenable to tourniquet application. Wound packing technique — firmly packing the gauze into the wound cavity to apply direct pressure to the bleeding vessel — is the critical skill that makes hemostatic gauze effective. Without proper packing, the gauze simply rests on top of the wound and does not provide the pressure needed to promote clotting. Stop the Bleed training courses teach wound packing technique on realistic training simulators, and trained individuals should practice the technique regularly to maintain skill proficiency.

Bleeding control station placement strategy mirrors AED placement logic: high-visibility wall mounting in high-traffic locations with clear signage enabling anyone to locate the kit quickly in an emergency. Co-location with AEDs is recommended by several security and emergency preparedness organizations, creating a comprehensive life-safety response point. Schools, transportation hubs, sports venues, and large public event spaces are high-priority locations for bleeding control station deployment given their exposure to mass casualty incident risk.

Our bleeding control kit collection covers individual Stop the Bleed-style civilian kits, professional responder kits, wall-mount public access bleeding control stations, and refill supplies for all kit configurations, with CAT and SOFTT-Wide tourniquet options meeting military and civilian trauma medicine standards.