Severe Bleeding

In case of severe bleeding, use the following steps:

(1) Control bleeding by the following means:

(a) Apply direct pressure on the wound for 5-15 minutes with a clean pad of cloth. If this is not available, use fingers or bare hands. Press the sides of large wounds gently but firmly together. If it is not possible to apply pressure directly on the wound, apply indirect pressure at an appropriate point on any artery between the heart and the wound. This treatment prevents blood from reaching the wound and is the method which must be applied immediately in any accident in which an artery has been severed. Indirect pressure may also be applied around the wound using a ring bandage for example.

The technique may be used if pieces of glass or metal are in the flesh.

(b) Wherever possible, lay the victim down with the head lower than the rest of the body and - provided an underlying fracture is not suspected - raise the injured part and support it. This has the effect of increasing the blood supply to the brain. If the injured part is raised above the heart, the pressure effect of having flow uphill will also reduce blood loss from the wound.

(2) Carefully remove any foreign bodies which can easily be picked out of the wound.

(3) Apply a dressing directly over the wound and press it down firmly. Cover it with a pad of soft material and bind it with a firm bandage to keep the dressing and pad in position.

(4) Immobilize the injured part using a sling or, in the case of a lower limb, by padding and tying it to the other leg.

(5) Send for an ambulance and carefully transport the casualty to hospital. Wounds are cuts in the skin which cause bleeding and can be either external or internal. Both categories are potentially dangerous as, in addition to the loss of blood, they may allow germs to enter which could cause infection.