Bleeding

TREATMENT:

Sit Or Lay:

Sit or lay the casualty down, appropriate to the location of the wound and the extent of the bleeding.

Examine:

Very quickly note the type of bleeding (arterial, venous, capillary). Identify the exact point of the bleeding so you can apply pressure to the right spot. Look for foreign objects such as glass in the wound.

Pressure:

Apply direct pressure to the wound. This pressure should then be continued for 10 minutes. If there is an embedded object, you may be able to apply pressure at either side of it (you must never remove or attempt to remove the embedded object)

Dressing:

You might be able to put a dressing on immediately and apply the direct pressure over it. A dressing should be sterile and just large enough to cover the wound. It should be absorbent and ideally have a surface that will not stick to the clotting blood (a low-adherent’ dressing). The dressing should not restrict the blood flow to the rest of the limb (Check the circulation at the far side of the dressing).

If there is severe bleeding and the dressing gets saturated with blood, then keep it in place and apply another dressing on top. You must then apply extra direct pressure by hand. If this doesn’t work take the dressings off and make sure you are applying direct pressure to the exact point of bleeding.