I sat here for awhile, trying to come up with any little anecdote to introduce today's post. No personal experience with major, or even minor, bleeding. I can't recall anything from TV that most readers would also remember, though I'm sure there was something on MASH that would apply. I got nothing. So let's just jump right in.
It sounds selfish, but the first order of business in any emergency situation is your own personal safety. You can't help the victim if you become injured. Are there shards of glass on the ground? Are you too close to a busy road? If the injury is the result of an animal attack, is the animal still in the area? Be safe and move the patient to a safe location if necessary.
And then there are the gloves. Wearing gloves is much more for your protection from the victim's blood rather than protecting him from your germs. If gloves are not available, have the patient, if possible, apply pressure himself, or enlist his family or associates in applying pressure. It gives them something to do to help and frees you to gather supplies and work more easily.
When you encounter someone who is bleeding, time is of the essence. A person can die from blood loss a lot faster than from a lack of oxygen. When you come across someone who is bleeding, you need to determine immediately whether the bleeding is life-threatening.
- Is all or part of a limb gone?
- Is blood spurting out of a wound?
- Is blood pooling on the ground?
- Is blood soaking clothing or bandages?
If the answer is "yes" to any of the above, and if it is a limb that is bleeding, a tourniquet may
need to be applied. A few types of tourniquets were covered here.
However, it is critical to remember that tourniquets
are used as a last resort, when bleeding can't be stopped after 30
minutes of constant, direct pressure. Tourniquets should be applied 2-3
inches
above the wound, and never over a joint, so go a little higher if you
have
to. Directions are not noted here for liability purposes and because
that's
going to vary according to what kind of tourniquet you have. A
correctly placed tourniquet is going to hurt, a lot. The patient will
not be
happy. The exact time the tourniquet was placed must be noted on the
patient's body using a Sharpie marker and in paper notes.
Now,
let's assume the bleeding is not so severe, because in most situations
you
are not going to encounter life-threatening bleeding. Most of the time,
it's going to be much less serious. Stopping the bleeding is basic
first aid/first responder stuff. It doesn't take med school.
Work
with whatever supplies you have. Fortunately, we all have the most
important supply with us all the time--direct pressure. Direct pressure
will stop the vast majority of bleeding. It may take more than a
minute or two or even ten, especially if the person is on blood thinners
or the wound is a substantial one. Now what do you use in addition to
direct pressure? Many preppers favor using sanitary pads and tampons
for bleeding. But any woman will tell you that those products do
absolutely nothing to stop bleeding. They only soak up blood. Direct,
firm, constant pressure must be applied. Hemostatic agents like
QuikClot or Celox powder or gauze work quite well to help stop
bleeding, but it is the direct pressure that is essential. Pouring
QuikClot on a spurting blood vessel is a complete waste.
Deep
wounds are a little trickier. After determining exactly where the
blood is coming from, hemostatic gauze or even clean strips of fabric
can be utilized to pack into a deep wound. Continue applying pressure
as you pack in the gauze or fabric strips. Maybe a triangle bandage or
bandana or other clothing can be used to aid in creating that direct
pressure.
And one final thought as I conduct the final
day-before-posting proofread: keep the patient nice and warm. Cold
blood does not clot well. Warm blood clots much better.
Links to related posts:
Lacerations
Abrasions
Cayenne Pepper
Triangle Bandages
Gloves
Tourniquets
For further information:
https://www.bleedingcontrol.org/resources/how-to-stop-the-bleed
© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com
march 19, 2019
I needed this information Saturday night. I dropped a hammer (claw fist) on the top of my foot, which caused some major blood letting. It did not spray or gush out, but the oozing had an impressive flow and took 20 minutes to slow down.
ReplyDeleteI was able to stop it, packing a surgical pad on it, than wrapping with saran wrap and then a wrapped or elastic cloth with velcro ends. The night clinic credited me with stopping the blood,. Because of takinjg jantoven (coumadin), the blood did take some time to stop. No X-Rays, but a tetnus booster and anti-bioic was applied via needle. Almost $200 cost, even with insurance.