SHARC-2 is a research study looking at two ways that a bystander could try to stop a life-threatening bleeding from a leg injury. The first is inguinal fist compression (IFC) — pressing firmly down with a closed fist at the top of the thigh, where the main artery to the leg runs close to the surface. The second is a commercial windlass tourniquet (CWT), a device that is increasingly carried in first-aid kits and taught in first-aid courses. Fifty healthy adult volunteers tried both techniques in a randomised order, while a sonographer used ultrasound to measure how much each technique reduced blood flow in the artery. The study was carried out at three community venues in Australia between February and May 2025.
When someone has major bleeding, the first few minutes are the most important — and a tourniquet is rarely close at hand. We wanted to know whether a technique that needs no equipment and no training could be a useful first step while help is on the way. By comparing the two approaches directly, SHARC-2 aims to give first-aid trainers, emergency services, and members of the public a clearer picture of what works best in those early moments. We hope the findings will help inform future first-aid guidelines and the design of further studies in real-world emergency settings.
This study is supported by a grant from the Emergency Medicine Foundation.
Trial registration was with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12624001054505).