Let’s talk about bleeding today! If you witnessed a car crash and someone was bleeding, could you be confident to give stop bleeding before help arrives? I think everyone has had a cut at one point of their lives. Cuts and scrapes happen when your skin is accidentally broken or worn away. This can be the result of a fall, banging against a hard object, or being cut by something sharp. This can happen any time at home while dicing vegetables, repairing objects, while cleaning, or while children are playing. Depending on the magnitude of the cut whether minor or major, bleeding may happen. Bleeding means loss of blood from the body and you know the implication of less blood insufficient blood in the body. Are you confident enough to stop bleeding when it happen?
How to stop bleeding from both Major and Minor cuts
For major cuts with heavy bleeding, the first this you need to do is call 911. You can then try and stop bleeding as the help is on its way. For minor cuts, you can treat them at home without going to hospital. These are the key steps;
- Wash your hands- If you have access to clean water, wash your hands with soap before you start helping out. This is to prevent spread of infections to the wound.
- Put on Latex Gloves– You must protect yourself especially when assisting another person. Remember you are coming into contact with someone’s blood and you do not know the infections they are carrying. Gloves protects you.
- Elevate the bleeding area above the heart– Have the person lie down and lift the injured area above his heart. You can support the area with an object to maintain this position. Raising the injured area slows down bleeding.
- Remove any Visible object on the wound– Remove the object that could have caused the cut from the wound. This is to prevent further injury.
- Stop Bleeding- Apply direct pressure on the cut or wound with a clean cloth, tissue, or piece of gauze until bleeding stops. If the blood soaks through the material, don’t remove it. Put more cloth or gauze on top of it and continue to apply pressure. If blood spurts from the wound, or it does not stop bleeding after 10 minutes of pressure, seek medical help. You may need stitches.
- Clean the wound- After the bleeding has stopped, rinse the cut thoroughly with cool water. You can either hold the wound under running water or pour water from a cup over the wound. This may cause the bleeding to return. If so, hold pressure as you did before.
- Clean the areas around the wound- Use soap and a soft washcloth to clean the skin around the wound. Try to keep soap out of the wound itself because it can cause irritation.
- Dress the wound in adhesive bandage- If the wound in an area that will get soiled (like your hand), or an area that will be irritated by clothing (like your knee), cover it with an adhesive strip. Change the bandage each day or sooner, if it becomes dirty or wet—to keep the wound clean and dry. Leave a wound uncovered if it’s in an area where it won’t get dirty or be rubbed by clothing. This will help it stay dry so it can heal faster.
- Watch for signs of shock, which is a life-threatening situation that requires emergency care. Signs of shock (most of which will be present) include: Passing out (losing consciousness), Feeling very dizzy or lightheaded, like you may pass out, Feeling very weak or having trouble standing up, Being less alert. You may suddenly be unable to respond to questions, or you may be confused, restless, or fearful.
There you have it. I hope next time you will stop bleeding like a pro. In the meantime, like and follow this page for more First AID TIPS every Tuesday. Next week we focus on Fractures. You don’t want to miss out. Like this page now by just clicking on the Facebook Icon below. CIAO