Many are afraid of blood. Some are afraid of any blood, some - only their own. However, we all have to deal with bleeding. You can live a lifetime and not encounter venous or arterial bleeding, but you can never see capillary bleeding . What should be the first aid for bleeding?
We will initially agree that we are talking about bleeding from wounds, and not internal bleeding. That is, we see damaged skin and blood flowing from the wound.
The intensity of the bleeding is not always related to the severity of the damage. It happens that severe damage does not bleed much, but, for example, damage to the scalp bleeds quite heavily, without being very dangerous.
Some people take drugs that reduce blood coagulation, or suffer from hemophilia. If the victim is conscious, be sure to check whether he belongs to these categories. If so, call an ambulance immediately even for minor injuries.
Try to wear gloves whenever possible. Complete with them your personal or automobile first-aid kit. The fact is that if you work without gloves, you can get hepatitis B virus or even HIV if infected blood gets into the wounds on your hands, so when trying to help, do not forget about your own safety. First aid for bleeding should not include risky measures. If there are no gloves, try not to touch the blood, use a bandage or gauze.
In some cases, microtrauma is very dangerous, as there is the possibility of infection with tetanus. Therefore, after first aid is provided for bleeding, you need to remind the victim of the need to see a doctor to administer tetanus toxoid.
First of all, you need to reassure the victim, your actions must be confident and decisive, even if first aid for bleeding is a completely new experience for you.
There are capillary, venous and arterial bleeding. They differ in the speed and nature of the process of blood flow.
With capillary bleeding, blood flows slowly, skin lesions are usually superficial. What should be first aid for capillary bleeding? It is necessary to wash the wound with warm water and antibacterial soap and then apply sterile bandages, cotton wool or gauze. Typically, such bleeding does not cause serious problems.
With venous bleeding, the blood is dark, it does not flow very quickly, but such bleeding usually accompanies fairly deep damage. Therefore, it must be taken more than seriously. First aid for bleeding of this kind involves the application of a pressure bandage, and the pressure should be from the side farthest from the heart. That is, if it is a leg, then from the side of the ankle, if the hand is from the side of the hands. After all, venous blood goes from the periphery to the heart. With venous bleeding, you need to call an ambulance.
With arterial bleeding, the blood is scarlet and follows in jerks. This bleeding is very dangerous, because a person very quickly loses a lot of blood. The first thing to do is call an ambulance. First aid for arterial bleeding is to clamp the artery from the side closer to the heart and then apply a tourniquet. Be sure to record the time of application of the tourniquet, because its too long use can cause tissue necrosis. If the help has not arrived in time within an hour, you need to clamp the artery, remove the tourniquet for 10-15 minutes, and then apply it again.
If you do not know the nature of the bleeding, but it is serious, apply two tows, above and below the wound.
If bleeding is serious, try to ensure that the patient is lying down. If possible, the damaged part of the body should be raised higher.
If there is a knife in the wound or another damaging agent, do not try to get it out of the wound, this will cause even more damage. Such an operation can only be entrusted to a doctor.
If the dressing is wet from the blood, do not remove it, but put another one on top. The less you bother the wound, the better.
The main thing in an extreme situation is to remain calm so as not to scare the victim even more.