First Aid for Wounds

and Severe Bleeding

 The size of the victim’s wound and the availability of first aid
materials determine the measure to be used to stop the
bleeding of wounds.
A normal adult’s circulatory system contains approximately
10 pints or 6 liters of blood. Blood flows through a network of
flexible tubes called blood vessels.
Why do you bleed when cut yourself or sustain wounds?
This is because the pressure inside the blood vessels forces to
come out or ooze from the wound.
The kind of bleeding and kind of wound sustained should
first be identified to give the first aid treatment.
Four steps in applying first aid for wounds
1. Bleeding should be stopped immediately.
2. The wound should be protected from infection
and contamination.
3. The victim should be treated for shock.
4. Medical care and attention should be sought.
Kinds of Bleeding
The three kinds of bleeding based on the vital organs of the body are
capillary bleeding, venous bleeding and arterial bleeding.

Capillary Bleeding
the smallest and most numerous blood vessels of the
body are the capillaries. Capillary bleeding is usually
slow.
Venous bleeding
veins are opened when a person sustains deep cuts. The blood is
released back to the heart. Dark red blood is the appearance of venous
bleeding. The blood flows steadily but slowly. Blood flow is stopped by
placing pressure on the wound.

Arterial bleeding
the least common, but the most serious type of bleeding which
involves the opening of an artery is arterial bleeding. The appearance
of blood released in an arterial bleeding is bright red. The blood
released just originated from the heart so it is under pressure and
spurts from the wound simultaneous with heart beat.
Kinds of bleeding according to occurrence
The two kinds of bleeding according to occurrence are external
bleeding and internal bleeding.
External Bleeding
in this kind of bleeding, blood escapes outside the body, and is
readily seen. An example of external bleeding is a bleeding wound on
the arm.
Internal Bleeding
this type of bleeding occurs within the body; it is not visible. Examples of
internal bleeding are bleeding in the lungs, kidneys, spleen, around the ends
of broken bones, and in the brain.
the signs of internal bleeding in the chest are visible rib fractures, pain
and difficulty in breathing and diminished or breathing sounds.
the signs of bleeding of the brain are loss of consciousness and vomiting.
the signs of internal bleeding are contusion or abdominal wound,
abdominal pain when the abdomen is pressed, and signs of shock even in
the absence of massive visible bleeding. Place the person on his side to
prevent chocking if he or she is unconscious, vomiting or bleeding from the
mouth.
Keep him or her comfortably warm. Do not give him or her anything to drink
or eat. Seek medical help immediately
Nose bleeding
An injury to the nose, a cold, a disease, or a
strenuous physical activity cause nose bleed. It is
usually not serious.
Lie down with the head and shoulders raised or have
the person sit down and lean forward. The soft, flexible
part nose should be squeezed firmly for at least 10
minutes without releasing the pressure. Apply cold
compress to the nose bridge, if possible. Seek medical
help if bleeding continues.
 Wounds
A wound is any break in the continuity of a tissue of the body.
• There are two kinds of wounds: open wound and closed wound.

Open wound
It is the type of wound when
even the smallest break in the
skin invites the possibility of
infection and loss of blood.
Closed Wounds
It is type of wound in which there is no broken skin,
but may injure the deep skin layers.
Treating wounds
Cleanliness must be observed to prevent infection and facilitate
healing in treating wounds.
The following important points should be considered by the first-aider.

1. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and clean water.

2. Clean out all the dirt.
3. Use sterilized instruments to remove bits of dirt.
4. Never apply alcohol, Merthiolate, or tincture of iodine directly in open wound for this will make healing
slower and damage the flesh.
5. A decoction of boiled guava leaves may be used for washing wounds.
6. Use hydrogen peroxide (agua oxegenada) to clean the wound to prevent tetanus.
7. Do not apply ointment or antibiotics cream if the wound has not been clean because it will only seal in
germ and dirt.
 Incase of larger wounds, bring together the cut edges. This will
prevent infection and facilitate healing. The wound can be closed only
if the cut has already been thoroughly clean and less than six hours
old.
Dirty old, and infected wounds must be kept open. Animal and
people bites must also be left opened. Closing of these wounds
promotes infection.
When do we know if a wound has already been infected? A wound
has already been infected when it becomes red, hot swollen, and
painful, pus has developed; when pressing the lymph nodes near the
wounded area, the victim experiences; and the victim has fever which
means that the infection has worsened and has spread to other parts
of the body.
 Ways to stop severe bleeding in open
wounds
Stopping blood flow through a wound should be a priority to prevent
germs from entering the wound.

The following are some ways to stop severe bleeding in open wounds.
1. Applying direct pressure
-Direct pressure can be applied by pressing the palm of the hand on a
clean dressing directly over the wound. Do not remove the dressing when
soaked with blood to avoid further bleeding, but keep adding dressings
and applying pressure. When bleeding stops, secure the dressing with a
bandage. Seek medical help if bleeding does not stop.
2. Elevation of wounded part.
-The wounded part should be elevated above the level of the heart,
this facilities the reduction of blood flow to the area. Foreign objects
that are buried in the tissue of the wound must not be removed to
avoid further bleeding and serious damage.
apply direct pressure to the open wound. Elevate the injured arm or
leg higher than the heart if there is no sign of fracture.
3. Use of pressing point technique
the pressure point is where pressure may be applied to the artery
which supplies blood at a particular spot. The pressure point technique
can be applied on the bronchial artery, femoral artery and facial and
temporal arteries.
The bronchial artery’s major pressure point is located approximately
halfway between the elbow and armpit on the arm’s inner side. The
first aider’s thumb and fingers are placed over the pressure point. The
victim’s arm is grasped firmly between the thumb and fingers to check
the severe bleeding of the wound of the lower arm or hand.
On the other hand, the femoral artery’s major pressure point is located
on the front center part of the diagonally slanted leg “hinge” on the
groin area’s crease when the artery crosses over the pelvic bone.
To stop the flow of blood from a leg wound, the heel of the hand of is
pressed firmly at the major pressure point of the femoral artery.
The facial and temporal arteries are two branches of the artery which
supply blood to the head. Head bleeding may be stopped by pressure
at a point just in front of the ear. The blood circulation in the face be
impeded by applying pressure against the lower jawbone’s underside
about an inch Infront of the jaw’s angle with the index finger’s side or
with the hand.
4. Use of the tourniquet
A tourniquet is a band that is applied to stop
the flow of blood from a wound. It is indirect
pressure which must be used only as a last report
to stop bleeding. It is dangerous because it might
damage body tissues due to a lack of oxygen and
blood.
Closed wounds
Falls, blows or traffic accidents cause no cuts or
evident breaks but may injure the deep skin layers.
These are closed wounds. Black eyes and bruises are
closed wounds. The injured part is sore and swollen.
First aid for closed wounds includes the
following.
1. Apply cold compress to prevent the rush of blood
and to constrict the blood vessels.
2. Do not apply ice an black eyes for ice may damage
the delicate parts of eyes.
3. Black eyes should be checked by a doctor.
4. Among the elderly, the doctor should examine if are
bone fractures because their bones are brittle.