In case of 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 ways to stop it
The way to stop bleeding is chosen depending on which vessels are damaged, their location on the body, how quickly blood loss occurs. By the nature of the damage, they distinguish:
- Venous.
- Arterial.
- Capillary.
- Mixed.
Based on clinical data, a temporary method of stopping bleeding is used:
- Compression bandage.
- Pressing the damaged vessel with fingers.
- Circular compression - application of a hemostatic tourniquet or twist.
Let's consider the two most common types of life-threatening vascular damage - arterial and venous bleeding.
Signs of arterialbleeding
A tourniquet is the most effective temporary way to stop bleeding from the main arteries of the extremities. But this method is quite traumatic, since it completely stops the blood circulation in the tissues located below the site of application and, if used incorrectly, can lead to serious complications. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly distinguish between arterial and venous bleeding.
When an artery is damaged, the following symptoms are observed.
- The color of blood is bright red, scarlet, rich.
- Blood flows out in bursts, which corresponds to heartbeats. When the main artery is damaged, the trickle literally beats with a fountain.
- Blood loss is very fast. Without emergency assistance, the victim can get hypovolemic shock in a few minutes. If the bleeding is not stopped, then death occurs in 5-10 minutes.
How to stop arterial bleeding
There are several techniques, most often they are combined. The fastest temporary way to stop bleeding from an artery is to press the vessel with your finger against the protrusion of the underlying bone above the wound. After that, all the necessary materials are prepared and a tourniquet or twist is applied. These are the most effective ways to temporarily stop arterial bleeding in the vessels of the extremities.
In case of damage to the lateral branch of the main artery, a pressure bandage may be used.
Pressing the vessel with fingers
These ways to stop arterial bleeding are used in case of damagethe following vessels:
- Carotid artery.
- Femoral artery.
- Subclavian artery.
- Axillary artery.
- brachial artery.
With the thumb or four fingers of the hand, the vessel is pressed against 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 by practicing on yourself or a 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 down, putting the thumb behind the collarbone as much as possible.
- The shoulder is pressed against bleeding from the lower third of the shoulder and below. The pressure point is the inside of the shoulder under the biceps.
It is important to remember that finger pressure is difficult to maintain for long periods of time. Therefore, after stopping the bleeding, a tourniquet is applied or, in its absence, a twist using improvised means.
Circular compression techniques
With this method, all vessels are squeezed by the soft tissues of the limb. The blood supply below the site of application is completely stopped. When applying methods to temporarily stop external bleeding by circular compression of the limb, it is important to follow the basic rules.
- Apply a tourniquet in a strictly defined place, otherwise you candamage the nerves of the limb. They try to do this as close as possible to the wound, but without touching the damaged tissue.
- You can not apply a tourniquet in case of inflammation at the application site.
- Control the duration of the tourniquet application. 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 victim's clothing or directly under the tourniquet.
- It is forbidden to cover the tourniquet with clothing or a bandage. It must be visible.
- To prevent injury to soft tissues, a bandage, piece of cloth or other soft material is placed under the tourniquet.
Place to overlay:
- Mid-calf.
- Lower third of the forearm.
- Upper third of the shoulder.
- Just below mid-thigh.
- The root of the limb with fixation to the body.
Tow technique
Methods for temporarily stopping external bleeding from the arteries of the limbs using a tourniquet are carried out in the following order.
- A soft material is placed under the tourniquet.
- The tourniquet is stretched, the first turn is applied tightly, the subsequent ones are weakened. Bleeding should stop immediately after the first coil is applied, there is no pulse below. With insufficient compression, venous congestion will develop and the limb will turn blue.
- When applied to the root of a limb in the armpit or in the inguinal fold, a roll of bandage is placed under the tourniquet to ensure that the artery is pressed against the bone protrusion. The tourniquet is applied with a "figure of eight" to prevent itsliding down.
- They make about three turns and fix the tourniquet.
- The limb is immobilized.
If more than 2 hours have passed since the application, the tourniquet must be loosened for 15 minutes without removing it from the limb. At this time, the artery is clamped with a finger. The tourniquet is re-applied to a place slightly higher than the previous one and for a shorter period. When the tourniquet is reapplied, the Gersh-Zhorov method can be applied. With this method, a counter-stop is placed on the opposite side of the limb - a wooden tire. The circulation is thus partially preserved. The same method is used to apply a tourniquet to the carotid artery. In the absence of a splint, use the victim's hand on the opposite side as a counterhold, lifting it up.
In the absence of a standard harness, use a rubber tube. It is also possible to compress the limb by applying a twist. A strip of durable material, a scarf, a scarf, a trouser belt is put on the appropriate place, tied up and pulled together with a stick until the artery is squeezed and the bleeding stops.
The stick is fixed on the limb with a bandage.
Signs of bleeding from a vein
Methods for temporarily stopping bleeding from a vein are different from those for damage to an artery. Bleeding from a vein is characterized by the following symptoms.
- Blood flows smoothlytrickle.
- The color of blood is dark cherry.
- Bleeding rate is less than if an artery is damaged, but significant blood loss, a drop in blood pressure and death from hypovolemic shock are also possible if large veins are not treated.
Ways to stop venous bleeding
With extensive damage to the venous vessels of the limb, it is possible to apply a tourniquet according to the same principles as with venous bleeding. In other cases, a pressure bandage is applied or the limb is flexed.
Ways to stop venous bleeding through the use of a pressure bandage:
- Temporarily compress the vein by pressing it with a finger or dragging the limb with a bandage.
- A cotton-gauze swab or a piece of cloth (cotton, linen) is applied to the wound and bandaged tightly.
- The limb is fixed.
Clamp a vein and stop bleeding by applying the limb flexion method. A dense roll of fabric or a bandage is placed at the bend, the limb is bent as much as possible and fixed in this position with a strip of fabric, a belt, a bandage.
Methods of temporarily stopping bleeding are used in traumatic damage to arteries and veins. The victim is given first aid, stabilized and transported to a hospital, where surgical methods are used to restore the integrity of blood vessels.
