The Naperville Fire Department has added a new life-saving device to its ambulance arsenal.
New tourniquet to stop bleeding in severe injuries
Applied in under 25 seconds, the SAM junctional tourniquet is used for injuries near the armpit or pelvis, reaching arteries that a traditional tourniquet can’t reach.
“We found that we had a gap in some of our traumatic injuries that we couldn’t traditionally stop the bleeding with a regular tourniquet,” said Bill Croft, Deputy Chief of Health Services.
“The SAM junctional tourniquet has these bladders that are able to wrap around the body and be placed right above those arteries, and we actually pump it up like a blood pressure cuff, and it puts pressure against that artery, and it helps stop the bleeding,” Croft continued.
Used by military, approved by medical staff
The SAM junctional tourniquet is used and vetted by the U.S. military.
The device had to be approved by Edward Hospital with data proving the tourniquet’s usefulness. The Naperville Fire Department is the first in the Edward Hospital EMS system to use the tourniquet.
“We had to train close to 200 of our paramedics. We have the SAM junctional tourniquet on all of our apparatus, so all of our engines, all of our trucks, squads, and ambulances,” Croft said.
Tourniquet to aid Naperville fire department in emergencies
Croft believes the new tourniquet will improve fire department aid.
“We never know what we’re going to come up against out in the field. Our community here in Naperville is very important to us. We serve this community. We’re constantly looking at new equipment, new ways of doing things, so we can serve the community in the way they want to be served,” Croft said.
Naperville is currently the only fire department in the state that uses the device.
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Photo courtesy: Naperville Fire Department
