Arterial bleeding is a damage to the vessel, which if untimely assistance is rendered can lead to death of a person. Before the ambulance arrives, it is necessary to provide the first first aid to the victim, namely, to hold the finger pressing of the arteries or apply a tourniquet. In the latter case, materials that can help in stopping bleeding are not always at hand. In such situations, it is necessary to hold a finger pressing the vessel.
How to recognize arterial bleeding
Before conducting a digital pressing of the artery, you should make sure that the blood flows precisely from this type of vessel. A feature of the wound will be bright scarlet blood, which is splashed out by the fountain (with each heartbeat, the blood literally pulsating trickles come out). The victim will be pale, sweating will increase. With blood loss , dizziness is observed, drowsiness increases, and a panic attack occurs. If there is a lot of blood loss, it will cause a faint.
With blood loss, a strong thirst occurs, dry mouth appears, and the pulse weakens.
Venous bleeding has a dark red hue. In case of damage to this type of vessels, blood simply flows out, as in cuts, without the effect of "gushing."
The provision of first aid
With arterial bleeding, first rules should be known before first aid:
- You can’t delay. Every second of delay can cost the patient's life.
- In some cases, improvised means can be used to stop bleeding. It can be a scarf, a belt, a long piece of fabric, a towel, etc.
- If the wound is located in a place where there is no way to apply a tourniquet or if there is no suitable object at hand, you should immediately perform a digital pressing of the artery.
Damage to each type of vessel provides a certain tactic for stopping bleeding.
The artery is pressed above the wound, which helps to reduce blood flow to the site of damage, i.e. the vessel is closed before being wounded. This method is associated with a feature of blood flow - from the heart, blood flows through the arteries to organs and tissues.
There are special points that allow for effective pressure of the arteries, but in order to achieve better results, it is necessary to clamp the artery on both sides.
The method of finger pressing is not applied in case of a bone fracture at the point of presumed compression.
Arterial pressure sites are presented in the table below.
Brachial artery
With finger compression of the arteries, it is necessary to know certain places to which the vessel is pressed.
If the brachial artery is damaged, it is necessary to raise the hand of the victim and put her head. Then the vessel is clamped: this is done with four fingers. The point of digital arterial pressure is located between the mice below the shoulder joint in the third part of the shoulder. At this point, the vessel is strongly pressed to the bone, thus providing an effect on the artery from two sides.
Axillary artery
When bleeding occurs in the upper part of the shoulder, the axillary artery is pinched. It is pressed to the head of the humerus: the procedure is performed from the inside, by the method of complete (circular) capture of the shoulder with the hand and pressure with the finger into the axillary region. You can press in another way, as shown in the figure below.
Femoral artery
Finger pressure of the artery during bleeding is carried out at a point located in the inguinal region, approximately in the middle of the fold. In this part, the artery is pressed against the thigh.
To assist, it is recommended that you kneel down on the side of your undamaged leg. Then, with the thumbs, they press on the point in the groin, and the other fingers cover the thigh. When performing this procedure, you should crush with all the weight, leaning on your hands.
Carotid artery
In cases where the vessels of the head, submandibular region, and upper neck are damaged, finger pressure of the carotid artery is performed . It is difficult for a person without a medical education to apply a tourniquet around the neck so that the victim does not suffocate (the tourniquet is applied by pulling through a hand raised behind the head). Therefore, only finger pressure is carried out on the neck. It is performed with the thumbs: they are positioned so that the remaining fingers are on the back of the head. If the carotid artery is damaged, it should be borne in mind that blood flows upward (from the body towards the head). To eliminate bleeding, the vessel is squeezed below the site of injury.
The pressure point of the carotid vessel is located in the middle of the anterior surface of the cervical muscle. With the correct execution of the manipulation, the artery is pressed against the spinous process of the vertebrae.
Subclavian artery
If the wound is located above the pressure point of the carotid artery or at the shoulder joint, then you can squeeze the subclavian artery. To do this, click on the hole behind the collarbone: the pressure is the thumb, and the rest are located behind.
Temporal and maxillary arteries
For injuries and injuries of the face, accompanied by arterial bleeding, immediate pressing of the temporal or jaw vessels is required. The latter is pressed with a finger to the lower jaw. And the temporal artery is pressed in front of the auricle.
Limb arteries
Arterial bleeding of the feet and hands is rarely life-threatening. However, even these types of injuries should not lead to serious blood loss. To reduce it, it is necessary to raise the limb, then squeeze the middle third of the forearm with your hands using the circular grip method. By the same principle, the foot artery is pressed: it is clamped on the third part of the lower leg.
During pressing it is impossible to weaken pressure so as not to provoke further bleeding. Keep your hands on the vessel until an ambulance arrives. When performing the technique of digitally pressing the arteries, you don’t need to think about the rules of aseptic and antiseptic, to wash your hands - in such situations, the count goes for seconds, because each of them may be the last for the victim. In some situations, you can apply a tourniquet or use improvised means to crush the artery. In any case, it is necessary to monitor the patient's condition, and you also need to detect the time when the tourniquet was applied or finger pressing began. This is necessary so that emergency doctors can assess the severity of the patient's condition.