CATEC Emergency Medical Technician students got interactive training using Charlottesville-based Luna Labs’ TrueClot bleeding control training technologies. The hands-on experience took place on Tuesday, October 17 in the CATEC parking lot.
Students practiced lifelike advanced bleeding control skills, including wound packing and use of hemostatic gauze and tourniquets, using Luna Labs’ TrueClot manikin body parts with fake injuries. These "injuries" are made of material that feels similar to human flesh and has tubing for simulated blood flow, creating a realistic emergency scenario for students. A tourniquet trainer was used so students can learn how tight a tourniquet needs to be to control arterial bleeding. CATEC EMT Instructor Cat Gardner says, “Training opportunities that closely mimic reality not only improve skills mastery, but also help solidify knowledge of the physiology and medical interventions required to control severe bleeding. The simulation allows students to participate in a very realistic, hands-on training experience that is otherwise not possible in a classroom setting.”
Developed and manufactured in Charlottesville, VA, Luna Labs’ TrueClot bleeding control products provide extraordinary realism, including clotting blood simulant that looks and behaves like real blood. TrueClot's bleeding control trainers are used around the world to ensure the readiness of emergency medical services (EMS) and military personnel to treat critical bleeding control injuries. “Since we started TrueClot, its use has spread throughout the world, but it is especially gratifying to see it being used here in our backyard,” says Michael Danilich, Senior VP of Operations at Luna Labs. “What CATEC is doing with this training is of great benefit to our community. No one knows when serious bleeding will occur because of accident, disaster or worse. Preparedness through excellent training is key to saving lives.”