Stop In The Name Of Blood

Stop In The Name Of Blood

There are few things quite as stressful as seeing someone you love bleeding heavily. I am grateful that the time I have spent with our local CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) has taught me how to stay calm and make wise decisions when people I love were injured. Whether it was the time that my father-in-law showed up on my doorstep after dropping a power tool on his head or the time my teenage son put an axe through the top of his foot, it was essential that I kept calm and remembered a few simple things about bleeding (before I drove them each to the hospital).

How to stop bleeding:

• Apply direct pressure on the cut or wound with a clean cloth, tissue, or piece of gauze until bleeding stops.
• If blood soaks through the material, do not remove it. Put more cloth or gauze on top of it and continue to apply pressure.
• If the wound is on the arm or leg, raise the limb above the heart, if possible, to help slow bleeding.
• Wash your hands again after you have stopped the bleed and before cleaning and dressing the wound.
• Do not apply a tourniquet unless the bleeding is severe and not stopped with direct pressure.

Knowing when to call for help is important. Call 911 if . . .

• You suspect internal bleeding
• There is an abdominal or chest wound
• Blood spurts out of the wound
• You cannot stop the bleeding after 10 minutes of firm and steady pressure

Though injuries resulting in heavy bleeding can occur anywhere and everywhere it is always wise to have supplies on hand in places where accidents are more likely to occur such as in your kitchen or workshop. Consider having gauze, medical tape, gloves, and soap for cleaning wounds and antibiotic creams.