For injuries and other damage to blood vessels, a temporary method of stopping bleeding is used. The goal is to stabilize the condition of the victim, stop the loss of blood and make it possible to transport the patient to a hospital for medical care.
Types of bleeding and methods of stopping
The method of stopping the bleeding is chosen depending on which vessels are damaged, their location on the body, how quickly blood loss occurs. According to the nature of the damage, there are:
- Venous
- Arterial.
- Capillary.
- Mixed.
Based on clinical data, a temporary method of stopping bleeding is used:
- Pressure bandage.
- Pressing the damaged vessel with your fingers.
- Circular squeezing - the imposition of a hemostatic tourniquet or twist.
Consider the two most common types of life-threatening vascular injuries - arterial and venous bleeding.
Signs of arterial bleeding
The application of a tourniquet is the most effective temporary way to stop bleeding from the main arteries of the limbs. But this method is rather traumatic, since it completely stops the blood circulation in tissues located below the place of application and, if used incorrectly, can lead to serious complications. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between arterial and venous bleeding.
If the artery is damaged, the following symptoms are observed.
- Blood color - bright red, scarlet, saturated.
- Blood flows in jerks, corresponding to heart contractions. If the main artery is damaged, the trickle literally beats with a fountain.
- Blood loss is very fast. Without emergency assistance, the victim may receive hypovolemic shock in a few minutes. If bleeding is not stopped, then a fatal outcome occurs in 5-10 minutes.
How to stop arterial bleeding
There are several tricks, most often they are combined. The fastest temporary way to stop bleeding from an artery is to press the vessel with your finger to the protrusion of the underlying bone above the site of injury. After that, prepare all the necessary materials and impose a tourniquet or twist. These are the most effective ways to temporarily stop arterial bleeding on the vessels of the limbs.
If the lateral branch of the main artery is damaged, a pressure dressing is possible.
Fingering a vessel with fingers
These methods of stopping arterial bleeding are used when the following vessels are damaged:
- Carotid artery.
- Femoral artery.
- Subclavian artery.
- The axillary artery.
- Brachial artery.
With the thumb or four fingers of the hand, the vessel is pressed to the protrusion of the bone above the area of damage. There should be no pulse below the pressure point. You need to know the points in advance, having trained on yourself or your partner.
- The carotid artery is pressed against the spine on the side of the larynx.
- The femoral artery is pressed against the protrusion of the pelvic bone in the inguinal fold, grasping the root of the limb with both hands.
- The subclavian artery is pressed, maximally turning the thumb over the collarbone.
- The humeral is pressed during bleeding from the lower third of the shoulder and below. The point of compression is the inside of the shoulder under the biceps.
It is important to remember that finger pressure is difficult to carry out for a long time. Therefore, after stopping the bleeding, a tourniquet is applied or, in its absence, a twist using improvised means.
Circular Compression Methods
With this method, all vessels are squeezed with soft tissues of the limb. Blood supply below the point of application is completely stopped. Applying methods of temporarily stopping external bleeding by circular compression of the limb, it is important to observe the basic rules.
- A tourniquet is applied in a strictly defined place, otherwise the nerves of the limb can be damaged. Try to do this as close as possible to the wound, but without touching the damaged tissue.
- Do not apply a tourniquet for inflammatory conditions at the site of application.
- Control the duration of the application of the tourniquet. It is no more than 1.5 hours in winter and 2 hours in summer. Attach a note indicating the exact time of application, fixing it on the clothes of the victim or directly under the tourniquet.
- It is forbidden to cover the tourniquet with clothing or a bandage. It should be visible.
- To prevent injury to soft tissues, a bandage, a piece of cloth, or other soft material is placed under the tourniquet.
Place for overlay:
- Mid tibia.
- The lower third of the forearm.
- The upper third of the shoulder.
- Just below the middle of the thigh.
- Limb root with fixation to the trunk.
Harnessing Technique
Methods for temporarily stopping external bleeding from limb arteries using a tourniquet are carried out in the following order.
- Soft material is placed under the tourniquet.
- Stretch the tourniquet, impose the first turn tight, the subsequent weaken. Bleeding should stop immediately after applying the first turn, the pulse below is absent. With insufficient compression, venous stasis will develop and the limb will turn blue.
- When applied to the root of the limb in the armpit or in the inguinal fold, a bandage roll is placed under the tourniquet to ensure that the artery is pressed against the bone protrusion. The tourniquet is imposed by the “eight” to prevent it from sliding down.
- Make about three revolutions and fix the tourniquet.
- Limbs are immobilized.
If more than 2 hours have passed from the moment of application, the tourniquet must be loosened for 15 minutes without removing from the limb. At this time, the artery is pinched with a finger. The tourniquet is again applied to a place slightly higher than the previous one and for a shorter period. When reapplying the tourniquet, the Gersh-Zhorov method can be applied. With this method, an anti-stop - a wooden tire - is placed on the opposite side of the limb. Blood circulation is thus partially preserved. The same method is used to apply a tourniquet to the carotid artery. As a counter stop in the absence of a tire, use the victim’s hand on the opposite side, lifting it up.
In the absence of a standard tow, a rubber tube is used. You can also squeeze a limb by applying a twist. A strip of durable material, a scarf, a scarf, a trouser belt is applied to the appropriate place, tied and pulled together with a stick until the artery is squeezed and the bleeding stops.
The stick is fixed to the limbs with a bandage.
Signs of vein bleeding
The methods for temporarily stopping bleeding from a vein are different from those for damaged arteries. Bleeding from a vein is characterized by the following symptoms.
- Blood flows out in an even stream.
- The color of blood is dark, cherry.
- The intensity of bleeding is less than with arterial damage, but without assistance in violation of the integrity of large veins, significant blood loss, a drop in blood pressure and death from hypovolemic shock are also possible.
Ways to stop venous bleeding
With extensive damage to the venous vessels of the limb, a tourniquet may be applied according to the same principles as with venous bleeding. In other cases, apply a pressure bandage or bend the limb.
Ways to stop venous bleeding by applying a pressure dressing:
- Temporarily squeeze a vein, pressing it with a finger or pulling a limb with a bandage.
- A cotton-gauze swab or piece of tissue (cotton, linen) is applied to the wound and tightly bandaged.
- The limb is fixed.
You can squeeze a vein and stop bleeding by applying the method of limb flexion. A dense fabric roller or bandage is placed in the bend place, the limb is maximally bent and fixed in this position using a strip of fabric, a belt, a bandage.
Methods for temporarily stopping bleeding are used for traumatic damage to arteries and veins. The victim is given first aid, stabilized and transported to a hospital, where surgical methods for restoring the integrity of blood vessels are used.