How to Maintain Control of Bloodflow If You Are Ever in an Accident

Do you know what life saving measures to take if someone you know has been severely cut? Penetrating wounds make up 50% of traumatic injuries and civilian assistance and knowledge can help greatly when applied correctly. If a patient receives early care then his or her chances of sever injuries are greatly reduced. Perhaps the EMS officials may be delayed due to circumstances beyond their control and if you have the information to help apply it to save a person more substantial injury.

Penetrating trauma is a wound inflicted to an individual caused by the skin breaking. Most commonly we think of penetrating trauma as being inflicted by a knife or razor, but bullet wounds can also be considered when assessing this form of trauma. If you are in a situation waiting for paramedics to respond be sure you know how to treat your wound. There are four steps to maintain bleeding control.

Number one most of us know, apply direct pressure. Direct pressure will handle the two most common types of bleeding, blood running out through your veins, or capillaries. Both kinds of bleeding are easily controlled by direct pressure, and all you need to do is find a sterile cloth and hold it on the wound. Don't remove the cloth for any reason until paramedics arrive on scene, if blood starts to soak the cloth through and through just place another sterile cloth on top of the first and repeat as needed.

If direct pressure is not helping to stop the bleeding after a few minuets then try elevating the wound to be above the heart level. Most of the time this can easily be done by elevating your arms or legs in order to get them away from the core of your body. By doing this the blood flow to that specific area is decreased, like if you hold you arm up high for too long it gets tingly, because of a lack of oxygenated blood flowing. In most cases this is the only extra step needed to control bleeding, but in the case of arterial bleeding it may not be enough.

Arterial bleeding is bright red blood spurting from an injured artery. When a person cuts their wrist, neck or receives and injury to the groin this kind of bleeding can occur. Arterial bleeding is very hard to control by direct pressure alone and raising the injured site may also prove ineffective so the third way to control bleeding is by applying pressure to the nearest artery to the injury site. Most of the time the brachial and femoral arteries are good choices to apply pressure to, but you need to know where they are located on the body.

An injury to the arm that won't stop bleeding requires that you apply pressure to the brachial artery. While the arm is elevated above the heart apply pressure on the inner portion of the bicep. Keep a steady and consistent pressure in this area until EMS officials arrive.

An injury to a lower extremity like the legs that won't stop bleeding needs pressure applied to the femoral artery. The femoral artery is the main artery running off the aorta, and the area that needs pressure applied is on the inside of the groin. Also make sure you apply pressure to the correct side of the body, if the injury is on the left leg then the left side of the groin area is where the pressure needs to be applied.

If all else fails then you should perform the last form of bleeding control, but only as a last resort. By now the paramedics should be on scene, but if they or not, or you are stranded in the middle of nowhere and medical help is far away then go ahead and tie off the wound using a tourniquet. This should not be done if you have just a small cut, or minor wound; this is only done if you are in danger of death because of blood loss. Use cloth or rope, anything you have to tie at the artery just above the injury site, in most cases the brachial or femoral. Then use a stick of some kind to pull the cloth tight, and twist it around clockwise in order to cut off the circulation of blood. This will stop the bleeding, but if you have resorted to using a tourniquet then you are facing the realization of losing that limb, so like I said, it's a very serious decision to make.

Also try and remember or write down the time and date that the tourniquet was applied. Once hospital officials see this they can make a decision on wither or not the limb will survive. Only a trained medical professional should remove a tourniquet once applied.

Medical care and treatment should really be left to the paramedics, nurses and doctors but sometimes a situation will arise when you have to step up to the plate in a life and death situation. If ever that time should present itself you would do well to be informed in minor medical care such as CPR and how to control bleeding. CPR is a class that you really have to be present in order to grasp, but bleeding control can easily be taught in guides such as this, just always remain calm and keep a cool head in a stressful situation and rest assured that the EMS system is working for you and will not leave you alone in a time of crisis.