Arterial bleeding is the most dangerous, regardless of its cause. That is why you need to immediately provide the victim with first aid. To do this, you must clearly know the signs of arterial bleeding.
Types of bleeding
Specialists distinguish two groups of bleeding: by type of vascular damage and by external signs.
The first group includes the following bleeding:
Arterial. The most dangerous type of bleeding, as large amounts of blood can be lost in a short time
Venous bleeding. It is characterized by a lower rate of hemorrhage. Less dangerous than the previous form, however, if the vessels of the neck are damaged, death may occur due to possible air absorption
Capillary bleeding. Often it can be observed when receiving minor injuries, such as abrasions, cuts and scrapes. It is characterized by a smallbleeding that is not life-threatening
Mixed bleeding. This type is characterized by the presence of signs of both arterial, venous and capillary hemorrhage. For example, mixed bleeding can be observed when a limb is torn off. It is very dangerous because there is arterial bleeding
By external signs of bleeding are divided into the following:
- Outdoor. It usually causes skin lesions of varying degrees.
- Internal. It may be due to blunt trauma to various parts of the body, such as the chest and abdomen. In such situations, damage to the internal organs of a person occurs. The main signs that indicate internal bleeding are weakness, thirst, dizziness, loss of consciousness, nausea, sometimes vomiting, skin changes, low blood pressure.
Signs of external arterial bleeding
Such bleeding is a completely natural reaction of the body to any kind of damage to the arteries, including mechanical trauma and impaired vascular permeability.
Bleeding of any kind can be dangerous, whatever you call it. Signs of arterial bleeding to watch out for are:
- First of all, it is the color of the blood that flows from the wound. Arterial bleeding is characterized by a bright scarlet color. It turns out that way becauseplenty of oxygen in the blood.
- Special character of blood flow. Due to the high pressure in these vessels, the blood will pulsate in the form of a jet or fountain.
- Bleeding rate is quite high, especially when especially large arteries are damaged. In such situations, a person can lose almost the entire volume of blood in just a few minutes. This could be fatal.
- Due to the loss of a large amount of blood, the skin of a person acquires a pale cyanotic color.
- When measuring blood pressure, you can see that it is going down. The person complains of dizziness, darkening of the eyes and nausea. Might even faint.
First aid for arterial bleeding
First aid must be provided immediately, because the preservation of human life directly depends on this.
If you suspect arterial bleeding in a person (signs of arterial bleeding are listed above), first of all, you need to conduct a thorough examination to determine all sources. Open lesions are conspicuous, so they can be detected quite easily. Wounds that are covered by clothing can go unnoticed, and this is very dangerous. The main thing during the examination is to determine the presence of acute blood loss, regardless of the size of the wound in the victim. It is also worth checking the victim's breathing, pulse and blood pressure.
First aid for external arterial bleeding is to apply a pressure bandage. If you find damage to largeblood vessels, then it is necessary to stop blood loss by pressing the artery with a finger. Please note that this method is temporary. This is usually done so that there is time to carefully prepare the pressure bandage.
If there are external injuries to the limbs, then a pressure bandage, as a rule, is not enough. In such cases, it is better to use a tourniquet or its equivalent. Improvised means, such as a tie, belt, scarf or handkerchief, may be suitable. It must be applied a few centimeters above the site of bleeding, after which it is imperative to leave a note indicating the time the tourniquet was applied. You can leave it for a certain period: up to two hours in summer and up to 30 minutes in winter. During this time, you need to deliver the victim to the hospital.
Types of venous bleeding
Venous bleeding is more common than arterial bleeding. This is due to the peculiarities of the location of the venous vessels. They are in close proximity to the skin and therefore more susceptible to damage.
There are three main types of venous bleeding:
- blood loss from superficial veins of limbs;
- deep vein bleeding;
- damage to neck veins.
Each type of venous bleeding has its own dangers and can be fatal if not treated promptly.
Signs of venous bleeding
Signs of arterial and venous bleeding have some differences.
The main symptoms of venous blood loss are (characteristic signs of arterial bleeding can be seen above):
- The presence of damage to the skin. Can be chipped, cut, gunshot and others. Damage is observed in those places where the veins are localized in large numbers.
- The blood flow is not interrupted.
- The color of venous blood is dark red because it is saturated with carbon dioxide.
- Bleeding mainly comes from the peripheral part of the vessel that has been damaged.
- Pressing the vein directly near the wound through the skin reduces blood flow.
First aid for venous bleeding
Helping the victim in this case depends entirely on the nature of the damage. If the superficial veins are damaged, you must first press down on the damaged vessel and wash the wound with hydrogen peroxide or bandage the affected area by inserting a swab with an antiseptic. Sewing up the wound will help to finally stop severe bleeding.
When deep veins are damaged, it is necessary to push tampons with hydrogen peroxide tightly into the wounds. After this procedure, you need to apply a pressure circular bandage, and quite tight. All further actions should be carried out by the doctor, and the sooner he starts treating the wound, the better for the patient.
If damage to the vessels of the neck is observed, it is required to press the ends of the bleeding vein through the skin with your fingers, and clamp the vessel in the wound itself. After that, you need to put tampons with hydrogen peroxide. After renderingfirst aid, the doctor must stitch.
When providing first aid for various bleeding, you need to remain calm and clearly follow the sequence of actions.
