Newswise — CHICAGO (March 21, 2025) — The American College of Surgeons (ACS) Stop the Bleed program has already prepared more than 4 million people to stop a severe bleeding injury, and with the rollout of a new, more visually-driven course, is poised to expand even further in communities in the United States and around the world.
The new version of the course, like everything produced by the ACS Stop the Bleed program, was developed by leading trauma and emergency response professionals. The ACS Stop the Bleed course brings together expertise from across the medical community to create a comprehensive, data-driven, accessible course for all people.
“We’ve taken everything we’ve learned and distilled it into a very easy-to-understand course that will teach the basics of hemorrhage control to people who don’t have a medical background,” said Kenji Inaba, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Chair of the ACS Stop the Bleed Committee.
The new course, which is the third version, is now being rolled out across the country. Notable elements include:
Slides with more images and less text
A format that can be easily adapted and updated to be most relevant for the community in which it is being taught
A greater emphasis on the anatomy of how blood flows through the body
By giving greater attention to the anatomy of bleeding, course participants become more empowered to effectively intervene in a bleeding emergency because they will understand the nature of blood flow.
“We feel very strongly that this course has all of the information people need to very safely and effectively perform bleeding control techniques. We believe this is the best course out there right now,” said Dr. Inaba.
The elements of the new course are in alignment with the current and future plans of ACS Stop the Bleed — providing a data- and research-driven approach to give the public the best knowledge available on how to save a life, working with communities in the U.S. and around the world to help them implement ACS Stop the Bleed in ways that make the most sense for them, and advocating for legislation to bring these lifesaving skills and tools to more public spaces.
To learn more and find upcoming courses, visit theACS Stop the Bleed website.
To purchase an ACS Stop the Bleed kit, visit theACS Stop the Bleed Shop. Proceeds from kit purchases go to help further the mission of ACS Stop the Bleed.
About ACS Stop the Bleed
The ACS Stop the Bleed program administers the premier bleeding control course and was created by leading trauma and emergency response professionals. ACS Stop the Bleed is the largest global provider of STOP THE BLEED® training and is instrumental advocating for both state and national legislation in the United States to empower the public with training and access to ACS Stop the Bleed kits.
Officially launched by the White House in 2015, STOP THE BLEED® is a campaign developed by the Department of Defense to educate the public on lifesaving bleeding control techniques following everyday emergencies. The ACS operates the ACS Stop the Bleed program under a licensing agreement granted by the Department of Defense.
More information is available atstopthebleed.org.
# # #
About the American College of Surgeons
TheAmerican College of Surgeonsis a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for all surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has approximately 90,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. "FACS" designates that a surgeon is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.