First aid for bleeding

If you don't know first aid for bleeding then you may as well sit down and quit after a serious injury. Major bleeding is life threatening and requires immediate attention. There are no replacement fluids available when you are in the woods. No emergency room, nothing, just you.

There are three different classifications of bleeding, each depending on its source.

Arterial Bleeding:

There are blood vessels called arteries that carry the blood away from the heart and to the rest of the body. Arterial blood is bright red and will pulse with the rhythm of the heart. Because of the high pressure of the heart a person can lose a lot of blood in a short period of time that can lead to death. We're talking minutes or even seconds. This is the most serious type of bleeding and needs to be controlled immediately.

Venous Bleeding:

Venous blood is the blood that is returning to the heart through your veins. It will be dark red, maroon, or bluish in color and is a lot easier to control.

Capillary Bleeding:

Capillaries are the very small vessels that connect the arteries with the veins. Capillary bleeding is usually in minor cuts and scrapes. Very easy to control.

You can use several methods of pressure when controlling bleeding. Direct pressure, indirect pressure or pressure points, elevation, digital ligation, or a tourniquet. This is for external bleeding only.

Direct pressure:

This is the most effective pressure you can use. Direct pressure is simply putting pressure right on the wound and holding it until it stops. It not only needs to be firm enough to stop it but it needs to “seal off” the wound.

If it is still bleeding after 30 min. then put a pressure dressing on it, which is just a thick piece of gauze or whatever you can get your hands on, and holding it in place with a tightly wrapped bandage. It needs to be tighter than your regular bandage but not so tight it cuts of circulation. Do not remove the dressing at any cost even if it gets soaked. Just keep putting dressing on top of the original dressing.

Pressure points:

A pressure point is a spot where the main artery to the would lies near the surface or the skin or where the artery passes directly over a bony point. You can use a finger or digit, called digital pressure, to slow the bleeding until you get the pressure dressing on. Digital pressure is not as effective because it is unusual for a wound to have only one suppling artery. But it is a quick solution to get the bleeding slowed down.

A rule to follow in first aid for bleeding; If you don't know the exact location of the pressure point that you need, apply pressure at the end of the joint just above the injured area. For instance on the hands the pressure point would be at the wrist, the foot, pressure point at the ankle.

You can hold the pressure by putting a round stick in the joint then bending it around the joint, you then tie it to stay. This frees up your hands to do other tasks that need attention.

Elevation:

Simply raise the injury as high above the heart as possible. That slows down the blood flow to the injury by making it easier for the blood to flow back to the heart and it lowers the pressure at the wound. You will need to do direct pressure at the same time.

Wilderness survival tip for first aid for bleeding:
When treating a snake bite make sure the extremity is lower than the heart.

Digital ligation:

Digital ligation is putting a finger, or however many it takes, right on the end of the artery that is bleeding. Hold the pressure until the bleeding stops or until you can get a dressing on it.

Tourniquet:

A tourniquet is your last resort. Use it only when all the other methods do not control the bleeding. Leaving a tourniquet on too long can damage the tissues around the tourniquet. If you have to use a tourniquet then put it between the wound and the heart about 2-4 inches above the wound. Check the illustration to see how.

Wilderness survival tip for first aid for bleeding:
Use caution when applying pressure to the neck. Too much pressure for too long may cause unconsciousness or death. Never place tourniquet around the neck

An important rule to follow:
If you are alone and you need to apply a tourniquet, do not remove it under any circumstance. You may lose consciousness and you would bleed to death. If you have a partner, then the one not wounded should release the tourniquet every 10-15 minutes for 1-2 minutes to prevent loss of limb.

That is first aid for bleeding. Learn it, memorize it, you life could depend on it.

Next: First aid for shock

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