Blood is a fluid that performs several important functions in the human body. It delivers oxygen, nutrients, hormones and enzymes to the organs, helps maintain a constant body temperature, protects against infections, as antibodies are produced in it. In case of violation of the integrity of any vessel, the blood no longer normally performs its functions. This provokes serious changes in the body and threatens life. One of the situations that can lead to similar consequences is arterial bleeding. First aid is needed.
A bit about bleeding and their types
Before considering arterial bleeding, you should first find the answer to the question of what types of vascular integrity disorders occur. The first aid provided depends on this. Bleeding happens:
- arterial;
- venous;
- capillary.
With bleeding, red blood cells are lost. The main danger of damage to blood vessels is to reduce the volume of blood circulating throughout the body and hemodynamic disorders.
What is arterial bleeding, what are its inherent symptoms?
Specialists call arterial bleeding the exit of the most important biological fluid from the human body through damaged arteries. They contain oxygenated blood, which flows from the lungs to other organs. Arterial bleeding mainly occurs during serious injuries, because the arteries are deep in the tissues, located close to the bones.
Has signs of arterial bleeding, and first aid should be given after they are detected:
- blood is inherently bright scarlet;
- she spills out of the wound with a fountain;
- a stream flows out, pulsating in accordance with the beat of the heart;
- rapid expansion of a pool of blood near the victim (arterial bleeding is determined by this sign in cases where no wounds are visible on the victim).
How to distinguish arterial bleeding from capillary and venous?
First aid for capillary, venous, arterial bleeding is different. In the listed types of vascular lesions, the symptoms are different:
- with venous bleeding, cherry- colored biological fluid flows evenly from the wound;
- with a capillary form, blood flows uniformly from the entire surface of the wound, as it impregnates those tissues that are damaged.
Since with arterial bleeding, blood quickly flows out of the body, the likelihood of shock and death is high. To prevent this, it is necessary at the first sign to begin to provide first aid to the affected person.
General principles for first aid for damage to arteries
First aid for arterial bleeding is based on several principles:
- Stopping bleeding and calling emergency doctors.
- Wound disinfection. Whenever possible, clean hands should be used to prevent the entry of pathogens. It is necessary to treat the edges of the wound with alcohol, vodka, cologne, lotion or other available means; apply sterile material to the damaged surface before bandaging; bandage the wound.
- Fixation of a damaged limb with a scarf or splint.
- Anesthesia. If a person has a serious injury, then it is recommended to use painkillers (analgin tablets, tramadol capsules, ice) to prevent pain shock.
- Safe transportation to a medical facility or waiting for ambulance doctors to arrive.
Stopping arterial bleeding with a tourniquet
When first aid is required for arterial bleeding with a tourniquet, certain actions are performed:
- clamp the damaged artery with a finger above the wound;
- give the area from which blood flows an elevated position;
- impose a tourniquet and record the time when it was done.
There are certain rules for working with a tourniquet (you can use a thick rope, belt, piece of durable fabric instead). It is applied to clothing not far from the affected area (3-5 cm above the wound) and tied tightly. The medical harness has special fixation holes. When properly applied, the limb becomes pale, and the pulse on it is not palpable.
Arterial bleeding, first aid: the nuances of using a tourniquet
The tourniquet cannot be kept for a long time on the damaged area. The maximum application time in the warm season is 2 hours, in the cold periods of the year - 1 hour. If the time for safe application of the tourniquet has expired, then every half hour it is weakened for 5 minutes so that the affected area is supplied with blood. When the bleeding stops, the device is untied, but they continue to monitor the victim. If the biological fluid begins to flow again, the tourniquet is applied again above the place where it was previously located.
If for some reason the tourniquet did not loosen and was not removed on time, was on the body for more than 3 hours, then it cannot be removed. The fact is that part of the cells died due to the lack of oxygen and nutrients, and signs of tissue death appeared on the skin. When removing the tourniquet, blood will begin to flow into this area. Toxins formed in dead tissues will enter the biological fluid. They will spread throughout the body. The spread of harmful substances will lead to the death of the whole organism.
Stopping bleeding in places difficult to apply a tourniquet
Very dangerous is bleeding from the femoral artery. If the integrity of this blood vessel is damaged, the victim can die in 30-40 seconds, so first aid for arterial bleeding of the limb should be provided quickly. It is worth noting that applying a tourniquet to this section is not so simple. On the thigh is very large muscle and fat mass. It’s hard to squeeze an artery through it. To stop bleeding, it is recommended to press with your fist on the area where the blood vessel passes, and during the application of the tourniquet, something solid (stone, mobile phone), a bandage roller should be placed under it.
When a violation of the integrity of the skin of the neck and arterial bleeding is detected, first aid is as follows:
- a piece of tissue is applied to the wound, and then the carotid artery and the affected area are clamped;
- after this, the injured person is laid, his arm, opposite from the wound, is planted behind his head;
- a roller from a bandage or towel is applied to the wound and a tourniquet is applied, pulling it over the victim’s hand (the tourniquet should press the roller).
Mistakes not to be made in first aid
If arterial bleeding is detected, first aid should be provided correctly, because the life of the affected person depends on the measures taken:
- Do not apply a tourniquet to a bare area of the body. Tightening can damage the skin. If there is no clothing on the overlay area, a piece of cloth should be placed under the tourniquet.
- Do not cover the tourniquet with a blanket or clothing. It should be visible to the person who provides first aid.
- Do not use wire, thin cord, fishing line as a bundle. All of this can damage the skin.
- Do not take out objects sticking out of the wound. They will be removed by specialists when the victim is taken to the hospital.
- If the area of the body below the tourniquet is swollen and acquires a bluish tint, this means that the tourniquet was not applied correctly. It is necessary to untie it and re-impose it, observing all the rules for first aid.
Arterial and venous bleeding is considered a frequent occurrence. First aid is a question that every person should study, because no one is safe from injuries, getting into traffic accidents. To summarize, we can highlight several more important points. If the affected person has very severe bleeding, do not waste time processing the hands. In such situations, you need to act competently and as quickly as possible to avoid shock. If the patient has lost a lot of blood, then you need to stop arterial bleeding, lay the person by lifting the lower limbs and drink water or sweet tea.