Bleeding from any external wound sites on the victim's body should be controlled to prevent the victim from going into shock which could lead to death if not treated immediately. There are some basic procedures and protocols that you can learn to implement on a bleeding victim to prevent additional blood loss until EMS or professional medical assistance arrives. This article will show you some ways to reduce the flow of blood form an external wound site on the victim's body.
Instructions
1. You should understand that blood form a wound site can come from different types of bleeding, ie, arterial bleed, venous bleed and bleeding from smaller vessels and capillaries. Note the color of the blood. Arterial blood meaning blood coming form the heart and its major arteries and is usually bright red in color and has a characteristic "pulsating" feature as blood spurts out of the wound. Each spurt corresponds to each heartbeat. Venous bleeds appears dark red in color and the blood comes form the veins that is mostly de-oxygenated blood. Capillary bleeds come from small and sometime superficial lesions and wound from the injuries and in general are the common external bleeds form injuries. These are more easily controlled by simple basic first aid protocols.
2. The first thing to look for in a victim is the site of the injury and the bleeding. Check for the important ABCs, ie, airway, breathing, and circulation to do an initial assessment of the victim to see if they are stable. Call EMS immediately if your assessment of the ABC finds the victim unstable and require immediate medical attention.
3. Also look for other signs and symptoms of shock from extensive bleeding since this will cause the victim to "crash " and RAPIDLY decompensate and will lead to coma and death if not treated immediately. Look for signs of sweating, decrease pulse rate, cyanosis (lips and mouth turning bluish-purple, sweating, pale clammy hands.
4. Always protect yourself if possible by wearing gloves or protective clothing (if available) before touching the victim to prevent the spread of viruses and other blood-borne pathogens. Of course, when an injury occurs most often you are not prepared for it but the key is to be aware of this fact and try to be very cautious when working with blood. Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
5. If the bleeding appears to be a superficial bleed then remove or cut the clothing form the wound site and wash with soap and water. Apply direct pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding and apply some antiseptic ointment. Cover it with a sterile dressing.
6. If the bleeding is severe you should first place the victim down on the ground and try to elevate the legs to increase the blood flow to the vital organs, ie , brain and heart, call EMS immediately and check the ABCs. DO NOT move the victim if you think he or she has suffered a spinal cord injury. Cover the victim with clothing or blanket to keep them warm.
7. Apply direct pressure to the wound to try and reduce the bleed. NEVER REMOVE any protruding object from the wound site. To try and reduce the bleeding in these situations , apply pressure on the injury on both sides of the protruding object.
8. Applying pressure to the major pressure points will also help to reduce the bleeding form the injury site. the major pressure points to know are the FEMORAL ARTERY and the BRACHIAL ARTERY. The femoral artery is located on either side of the inner thigh region close to the groin area. To apply pressure at this pressure point, use your fingers and the arms extended, apply pressure directly at the artery and press the artery against the pelvic bone. Keep pressing firmly on the artery until you don't feel a pulse.
For locating the brachial artery, look at the upper inner arm, between the armpit and elbow areas. This artery can also be compressed to reduce the flow of blood and decreasing blood loss form the victim.
9. After applying pressure for sometime, you can make a pressure bandage around the injury site. The key is to not make this too tight to cut of all circulation because this could have dire consequences later on. The bandage should be tight enough to maintain pressure on the wound but not too tight to impede any blood flow. If the skin turns purple-blue or if there is no pulse present at the major pressure pints then the pressure bandage is on too tight.
Tags: wound site, apply pressure, major pressure, pressure wound, Apply direct, Apply direct pressure