Bleeding Out: A new series exploring a U.S. health crisis

Shortcomings in the U.S. health care system are causing more Americans to die from potentially survivable traumatic injuries. THE BIG STORY Tens of thousands of injured Americans die from preventable bleeding each year. “[Bleeding Out](,” a new series from The Dallas Morning News and San Antonio Express-News, examines how gaps in the American health care system fail to address preventable deaths. [A bag of drained blood is shown in the trauma center at John Peter Smith Hospital on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Fort Worth. Photo by Smiley N. Pool, The Dallas Morning News.]( A bag of drained blood is shown in the trauma center at John Peter Smith Hospital on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, in Fort Worth. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) www.dallasnews.com/bleedingout [Bleeding Out: Why so many Americans bleed to death after a traumatic injury]( Malik Tyler was bleeding to death. On a warm June evening four years ago, the 13-year-old was walking home with his friends after buying snacks from Adams Food Mart in southeast Dallas when they heard gunshots. One boy ran back to the store while Malik and his other friend sprinted down the street to their families’ apartments. Outside the complex, Malik asked his friend if he had been shot. He lifted up his shirt. There was blood on his torso. The bullet that hit Malik in the back had fractured a rib and pierced his right lung, medical records show. By the time he made it to the hospital, about 36 minutes had passed. He bled too fast, the transfusions came too late, and he died. Across the U.S., deaths like Malik’s from [traumatic injuries unfold with grim regularity](. But they don’t have to. Every year, tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. result from potentially survivable injuries. Every day, people die who don’t have to because of shortcomings in health care systems. In most preventable cases, people bleed out before their injuries can be treated. As many as 1 in 3 trauma victims could recover from their injuries with faster access to high-quality medical care, studies show. For years, awareness of these deaths has been mostly confined to medical journals and discussions within the medical community, leaving the general public largely uninformed about the extent of the epidemic. Until now. [READ MORE]( More stories in this series: - [‘We want people to live’: How San Antonio is trying to prevent deaths from blood loss]( - [A fight for his life: A South Texas man’s major blood loss after a home project gone wrong]( - [Interactive map: Find your nearest trauma center]( - [Trauma deserts in rural America: Where you live can determine whether you live]( - [D-FW lags behind Texas cities in early blood transfusion care. But that’s changing]( - [A North Texas man nearly died after a horrific, head-on crash. Here’s what saved him]( - [8 highlights from our investigation on trauma care in the U.S. health care system]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( [YouTube]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Account Login]( | [Help Center]( [Terms of Service]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( The Dallas Morning News 1954 Commerce Street Dallas, TX 75201 © Copyright 2023