Accident victims could be saved in minutes with one simple injection

October 1, 2020 – Thousands of lives could be saved each year by giving patients a simple injection to prevent severe bleeding at the scene of accidents, a study has found.

A cheap, widely available drug called tranexamic acid (TXA) encourages the blood to clot and can reduce deaths of injury victims by up to a third when given within an hour. Each 15 minute delay reduces its lifesaving potential by 10 per cent and at present only 3 per cent of trauma victims in the UK get it within the one-hour window.