Stop of a hemorrhage

The stop of a hemorrhage is one of the gestures of First aid to be lavished on a person victim of an accident. After having protected the victim, the first obvious distress is the external Hémorragie recognizable with a flow of Sang apart from the circulatory Système. Blood is used to transport oxygen towards the Organe S: in the event of hemorrhage those are not sufficiently any more perfusés and a heavy bleeding important and fast (for example which soaks a handkerchief in a few seconds) can lead to the death of the victim by Hypoxie or Hypovolémie.

__TOC

In all the cases, the first gesture to be carried out is to lengthen the victim for several reasons. In position upright or sat, blood is attracted by gravity to the bottom of the body. The reclining position makes it possible mechanically to standardize blood volume in all the body and supports the irrigation of the noble bodies: the Lung S, the Heart and the Brain. In addition, a important shock hypovolemic involves a Hypoxie which can be at the origin of a faintness and even of a Loss of consciousness. It is advisable to lengthen the person to avoid an on-accident. It is also recommended to raise the member injured in order to limit the blood surge on the wound.

Internal bleedings or extériosiées

In the case of an internal bleeding, the wound is inside the body, and blood runs out in fabrics or the body cavities, such as for example in the abdominal cavity, the Poumon S or the brain-pan. One cannot of course note this hemorrhage, but that will be detected by external signs (cardiovascular Collapsus in particular). This situation is regarded in first aid as a serious faintness and is to be treated according to the clinical evolution of the person.
In the case of an exteriorized hemorrhage, blood runs out by a natural opening: stop (spittles, vomiting of blood), ear, nose, anus, urethra, vagina apart from rules. As the wound is hidden (blood comes from the interior of the body), one cannot intervene, the only solution consists to put the victim at rest, to prevent the helps and to supervise it while waiting for the doctor. In the case of spittles or of vomiting of blood, one will try to preserve them (in a basin, a plastic bag) to show them to the doctor.

One can propose home positions (or “positions of waiting”) particular in certain cases (if the victim is conscious):

for spittles of blood, if the victim has evil to breathe, to propose the sitting position (by ground, legs lengthened) or semi-base ( idem with the behind inclined back);
for the vomiting of blood, lengthened bent thighs (to decrease the evil of belly).

It is advisable to respect the position in which the person feels best.

However a particular case is distinguished: the nosebleed spontaneous or making following a blow moderated on the nose. This incident is frequent, in particular in the children. It is advised to adopt this action to be taken:

to sit the person ahead leaning head, in order to prevent that blood does not run in the throat or the lungs;
moucher the nostril which bleeds, in order to evacuate stains or blood clots;
to make compress the nostril by the victim during ten minutes in order to stop the bleeding.

If the bleeding begins again after this time, it is advisable to ask a medical opinion to eliminate any risk of fracture or cranial traumatism.

External hemorrhages

An external hemorrhage is caused by a cutaneous lesion, a rupture of a blood-vessel, a section of a member or an open fracture. The wound is visible and the massive flow of blood. Before intervening directly on the wound, it should be observed if this one does not contain a foreign body, such as for example of the pieces of glass, of dirtinesses or a piece of a blade. It is not advised to remove the foreign body in order not to be likely to damage fabrics more by withdrawing the object, like being wounded oneself. As far as possible a fast washing with clear water makes it possible to quickly eliminate the majority from the stains and limit the risk of infection.

Methods

direct manual Support

This technique is to be proscribed in the event of presence of a foreign body in the wound or in the event of fracture. It is advisable to be protected with gloves to avoid a Accident of exposure to blood.

The objective is to suppress the hemorrhage by a support on the injured zone. It is possible to support directly with the hand or using a Compression bandage maintained by a broad bond.

remote Compression

If it is impossible to press manually on the wound, or then when this support is ineffective (the wound is larger than the hand), or when it contains a foreign body, a broken bone which exceeds (open fracture), or in the case or the part which bleeds is inaccessible (the arm is wedged under an object). It is then possible to compress the Artère related with the member concerned against a bone while supporting through the skin. This is not possible that for the hemorrhages with the members. Remote compression is done initially with the fingers. There exist seven points of compression, the three principal ones are:

at the base of the neck, for a hemorrhage with the neck: it is the only manner of stopping a hemorrhage with the neck;
on the inner face of the arm (between the wound and the shoulder, above the elbow) for a hemorrhage with the upper limb (arm, front armlever, hand);
in the fold of the groin for a hemorrhage with the lower extremity (thigh, leg, foot).

If the rescuer needs to release himself (to prevent the helps or to deal with other victims), it can pose a Garrot and note the hour of installation of the garrot on a paper pinned with clothing of the victim (this information will be invaluable for the medical team). The installation of the garrot is not possible that with the arm (between the shoulder and the elbow) for the hemorrhages with the upper limb, and on the thigh (between the hip and the knee) for the hemorrhages with the lower extremity.

Once a compression remotely carried out (not of compression or garrot), it should be maintained costs which costs. Indeed, if one slackens the compression, the blood (which was contained in the body) comes to invade the member (who him emptied himself); that causes a abrupt fall of the blood pressure which can cause a draining of the cardiac pump with an cardiac arrest.

Monitoring

The hemorrhage can pass unperceived in the first time, for example hidden by clothing. This shows the importance to supervise the victim during waiting of the helps.

See too

Random links: