The Lexington Fire Department is one of only two departments in the state testing out a new piece of EMS equipment designed to control severe bleeding in seconds.
The device is called the iTClamp Hemorrhage Control System, but Chief Brian Wood with the Lexington Fire Department says his colleagues have a less technical-sounding name for it.
"We refer to it as a hair clip on steroids," he explains. "The best thing to relate is... women who use the big clips to hold ponytails together. If you imagine putting some really sharp spikes on those. We use it to close the wound. The sharp needles hold the skin shut."
Wood says the product created by company Innovative Trauma Care frees first responders to handle other procedures instead of spending their time manually packing the wound.
Lexington and Bowling Green are the only Kentucky communities with fire departments outfitted with the device. Wood says it’s been used about five times here since the trial began and so far the reviews from EMS workers have been positive.
