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At approximately 1150 hrs on July 7, 2009, Emergency Service Unit Detective Shawn Soler and Sgt. Michael McGuinness (recorder) of the New York Police Department responded to a call of an "aided" with a severe laceration traveling to Manhattan from Governors Island via ferry. The aided was a construction worker, M/W/47, who had partially severed his right hand at the wrist with a circular saw and was bleeding heavily. Co-workers rendered first aid to the wound, along with 1st Precinct personnel who responded to the ferry terminal in Manhattan. The wound was noted to have been spurting blood and bled through the bandages for at least 30 minutes.
Upon assessing the severity of the wound and the likelihood of severe arterial damage and uncontrollable bleeding, Det. Soler, a tactical paramedic, requested and was granted approval by a department medical director to apply QuikClot, a powder/mineral substance used to clot blood, which ESU tactical medics are trained to use in the event of severe injuries and/or hemorrhaging. He applied QuikClot to the patient, and the bleeding stopped within minutes.
Soler accompanied the patient to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated and awaited reconstructive surgery. The attending trauma surgeon told Soler that the use of QuikClot stopped the bleeding 100% -- and more importantly -- may have prevented serious nerve damage or further injury to his hand and fingers.
This is the first such use of QuikClot by the department, and possibly by emergencyresponders in the city. There are 14 tactical medics (specialized to administermedication and other advanced life-saving measures) citywide assigned to ESU. AllESU officers are trained EMTs.
