Table of Contents
How do you control uncontrollable bleeding?
Place a sterile bandage or clean cloth on the wound. Press the bandage firmly with your palm to control bleeding. Apply constant pressure until the bleeding stops. Maintain pressure by binding the wound with a thick bandage or a piece of clean cloth.
What should be used in severe bleeding that Cannot be stopped by direct pressure alone?
The First Aid class at CPR Seattle address the use of tourniquets in cases of severe bleeding that pressure alone cannot stop. We also indicate that the use of a tourniquet by untrained rescuers can easily result in more harm than good.
Why it is important to control the bleeding?
It is important that as many people as possible survive their injuries if they sustain trauma. Uncontrolled bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma. The greater the number of people who know how to control bleeding in an injured patient, the greater the chances of surviving that injury.
How do you know if you have severe bleeding?
Signs of very severe hemorrhaging include:
- very low blood pressure.
- rapid heart rate.
- sweaty, wet skin that often feels cool to the touch.
- little or no urine.
- vomiting blood.
- loss of consciousness.
- leakage of blood from the eyes, ears, or nose.
- organ failure.
What to do if direct pressure is not controlling the bleeding?
If severe bleeding does not stop with direct pressure and elevation, apply direct pressure to an artery. Use direct pressure on an artery along with elevation and direct pressure on the wound. There are specific major arteries in the body where pressure should be placed (see illustration below).
When to use limb elevation to stop bleeding?
Experienced clinical providers found limb elevation, especially in the case of upper extremity hemorrhage, to be a simple and effective method to stop bleeding that was not fully controlled by direct pressure alone.
What kind of pressure do you use to stop bleeding?
Use direct pressure on an artery along with elevation and direct pressure on the wound. There are specific major arteries in the body where pressure should be placed (see illustration below). When you apply pressure to an artery, you stop bleeding by pushing the artery against bone.
When to apply direct pressure to an artery?
If severe bleeding does not stop with direct pressure and elevation, apply direct pressure to an artery. Use direct pressure on an artery along with elevation and direct pressure on the wound. There are specific major arteries in the body where pressure should be placed (see illustration below).
How does wound elevation help in hemorrhage control?
The results demonstrate that elevation of an extremity effectively reduces hemorrhage as compared to a limb that is not elevated. Wound elevation is a simple and effective means of hemorrhage control, and should be reintegrated into standard hemorrhage control protocols for first aid and EMS providers.