For the human body, blood circulation is vital. It is provided by the functioning of the circulatory system. Injuries resulting in heavy bleeding can be fatal. First aid for venous bleeding is briefly taught even in schools.
An injured person who develops bleeding should receive first aid in a short time. The health, and often the life of the victim, depends on the quality of its implementation. If the wound is small, then the body is able to cope with stopping bleeding on its own. If the injury is deep, then you can not do without first aid.
Types of bleeding
Modern medicine classifies all bleeding into:
- Venous
- Arterial.
- Capillary.
- Parenchymal
Since venous vessels are located close to the surface of the skin, their damage occurs quite often. They cannot contract like arteries, but they can stick together, because their walls are thinner and narrower than the walls of arteries.
First aid should be quick and competent so as not to cause additional harm to the victim. If the injury is serious, then you should seek qualified medical attention. This is especially true for bleeding that occurs as a result of injuries affecting the internal organs.
Signs of bleeding from veins
There are several signs that make it possible to assert with confidence that the victim has venous bleeding. The first of these is the color of the blood released from the wound. Venous is much darker than arterial, has a brown or dark red color. The second sign is that the blood is ejected from the wound rhythmically, corresponding to the rhythm of the heartbeat. Unlike arterial bleeding, with venous blood does not hit with a fountain, but flows slightly pulsating.
Since the venous vessels are wide, first aid for venous bleeding must be carried out without delay. The reason for this is that the blood loss is very large.
Wound Classification
The provision of first aid for venous bleeding largely depends on the location of the wound. Depending on the damage, bleeding may include:
- Veins of the neck and head.
- Superficial veins located in the limbs.
- Deep veins located in the limbs.
Help with bleeding
As a result of many years of practice, medicine has developed methods that make it possible to temporarily stop blood loss. On points, first aid for venous bleeding can be described as follows:
- The process of squeezing blood vessels in the area of damage. This is achieved by applying a compressive dressing or by pressing on the place of rupture of a vein with your finger.
- Applying coolants (e.g. ice) for 30 minutes. After half an hour, the funds are removed to restore blood flow.
- Flexion of the limb in the joint when it comes to deep vein injuries.
- The application of the tourniquet in compliance with the time frame.
After carrying out such measures, the victim must be taken to a medical institution, where he will receive first aid in case of venous bleeding.
Tourniquet application procedure
A tourniquet is used only in cases of severe blood loss.
Since venous blood moves from the distal to the proximal limb, a tourniquet must be applied below the place where the damage occurred, but close to the wound. The tourniquet is superimposed as follows:
- First you need to put in place where the tourniquet, gauze, or just clothes will be located. This will prevent injury to the soft tissues of the limb.
- Vigorous movements should stretch the tourniquet and wrap it around a damaged limb.
- The turns should be placed one after another and not pinch the skin.
- Each next round must be superimposed so that it slightly goes to the previous one.
- Having made two or three turns, you can slightly loosen the tension of the bundle.
- A note must be attached to the harness, which will indicate the time when it was applied. If there is no paper at hand, you can write the time directly from the victim on the skin.
The harness can be kept for 1.5-2 hours in the summer and 1-1.5 hours in the winter. After this time expires, the tourniquet must be loosened. In no case should he be covered or put on top of clothes, since it is necessary that he be clearly visible.
First aid
The algorithm for first aid for venous bleeding is almost always the same. Minor differences depend on the location of the damaged vessel.
To slow the bleeding, you can make the following manipulations with the victim:
- Raise the injured limb up to reduce blood flow.
- Squeeze the damaged vessel through the skin with your finger.
- In no case do not treat the wound with iodine, it is permissible to use it only around the wound.
Bleeding from superficial veins must be flushed using a solution of hydrogen peroxide. Next, you need to start applying a tight dressing. First you need to attach a napkin to the wound (it must be sterile). A lump of cotton wool is placed on top of it. All this needs to be bandaged, wrapping a limb in a circle. Having imposed a tight bandage, it is necessary to take the victim to specialists to provide qualified assistance. In cases where the bleeding has not stopped, and the dressing is significantly saturated with blood, it is assumed that the injury damaged the deep veins. Then a tourniquet should be applied.
If an ambulance is called to the house, then the victim must be laid on a flat surface on his back and unfastened his clothes, making it easier for him to breathe. You can drink it with tea or fruit drink. Waiting for doctors, the victim should lie in such a position that his whole body is above head level.
Hip bleeding
Loss of blood caused by bleeding from deep veins located in the limbs requires urgent measures, because in a short period of time a person is able to lose a lot of blood. A decrease in the amount of blood in the circulatory system leads to shock, renal failure, and other complications that cause significant damage to the human body.
The provision of first aid for venous bleeding in the hip involves the following measures:
- Raise a limb to give it an elevated position.
- Apply a tight bandage or tourniquet.
- Put ice or a heating pad with cold water at the site of bleeding.
- Take the victim to the hospital.
A damaged limb can be fixed by bending it in the hip joint and tying the thigh with a bandage to the body.
The success of pre-medical care and the period of limb recovery after the intervention of doctors depends on how correctly the tourniquet is applied. In summer, every hour, and in winter every 30 minutes, the tourniquet should be loosened for 3-5 minutes. At this time, the vessel must be pressed with your fingers to prevent repeated bleeding.
Shin bleeding
As already mentioned above, the algorithm for stopping bleeding does not change.
A feature of first aid for venous bleeding of the lower leg is the application of a tight bandage or tourniquet not on the thigh, but on the lower leg.
As with stopping bleeding in the thigh, it is imperative to treat the wound using a solution of hydrogen peroxide. Next, you need to put on it a tight roller of cotton wool and tightly wind the wound. If the bleeding is profuse, then a tourniquet should be applied and doctors should be called to the house, or the victim should be taken to the hospital on his own.
You can also fix the leg by bending it at the knee joint and tying the shin with a bandage to the thigh.
Forearm bleeding
To provide first aid for venous bleeding of the forearm, you should act as described above. The only difference is the place of applying a tight bandage or tourniquet. When bleeding from the forearm, the tourniquet should be applied below the wound. You can also apply tight dressings below the wound and above, without departing from it far.
Damage to the venous vessels of the forearm occurs quite often. The veins here are quite close to the surface of the skin (remember the procedure for blood sampling for analysis, in which a nurse can easily find a venous vessel). Due to this location, minor injuries can be life threatening.
In the process of first aid for venous bleeding resulting from a forearm injury, a limb bent in the elbow joint is fixed with a bandage. To do this, she is tied to her shoulder.
With any venous bleeding, one should act very quickly, since human life can depend on this. Most often, first aid for venous bleeding does not end there. The victim should be sent to the hospital, so that professionals ensure the full restoration of the damaged limb.
The rules set out in the article for stopping bleeding from a vein should be known to everyone, in order to be able to provide assistance if necessary. If at such a moment there is no harness at hand, it will be replaced by a belt, scarf, cloth flap, torn from clothes. If hydrogen peroxide or iodine is not available, any alcohol-containing solution will replace them. The main thing is not to lose your temper.