Bleeding & Wounds

HANGMAN ENGAGER
Do you know your bleeding and wounds?
What do you already know about the types of bleeding?
Annotate:
The three types of bleeding and how to tell them apart
-Capillary --- slow, even flow of bright red blood

-Venous--- steady, slow flow of dark red blood

-Arterial--- spurting blood, pulsating flow, bright red colour.

Can you tell what
type of bleeding
this is
Can you tell what
type of bleeding
this is
Can you tell what
type of bleeding
this is
Signs and Symptoms of Severe Bleeding
● Weak, rapid pulse
● Pale, cool, moist skin
● Sweating
● Rapid, gasping breathing
● Restlessness
● Nausea
● Thirst
● Faintness, dizziness or confusion
● Loss of consciousness
Treatment for an Severe Bleeding
Arterial bleeds are categorized by bright red blood which spurts out.
1. Follow DRSABCD.
2. Apply gloves if available. Help the patient to lie down. Remove or cut the patient’s clothing to
expose the wound.
3. Apply firm, direct and continuous pressure on the bleeding wound initially with your hands or a
rag/towel until the bleeding stops. (The patient or a bystander can do this.)
4. When available, apply a pad or dressing in or directly over the wound and apply firm, direct and
continuous pressure until the bleeding stops.
5. Once bleeding is controlled secure the pad by bandaging firmly, ensuring the pad remains
directly over the wound.
6. Continue to check the patient’s vital signs (consciousness, breathing and pulse) and look for
recurrence of bleeding.
7. If the bleeding is not controlled and:
• the bleeding is on a limb, apply an arterial tourniquet (if available) and tighten until the bleeding
stops.
• the bleeding is not on a limb, remove existing dressings and apply a haemostatic dressing (if
available) in or directly over the wound and apply firm, direct and continuous pressure until the
bleeding stops.
Treatment for Severe Bleeding
Internal Bleeding
Internal bleeding is usually more severe than external bleeding, it is when we can
see bleeding in the inside of the body, typically presenting in the chest cavity and
stomach cavity which can be caused by major trauma.
Signs and symptoms (Can you name some)
-Pain and tenderness in the area

-Tenderness

-rigidity of abdominal muscles

-swelling

-coughing up red frothy blood

-passing faeces or urine which is red

What to do ?
1. Follow DRSABCD
2. Call triple 000 for an ambulance
3. Lay the patient down
4. If the patient is coughing up blood, help them into a comfortable position- this
is normally half sitting up
5. Reassure the patient and loosen any tight clothing
6. DO NOT give the patient anything to eat or drink!!!
Types of Wounds - Can you list them?
Types of Wounds
Abrasion (E)

What is an
abrasion?

A superficial rub or
wearing off of the skin
Lacerations (E)
Fo

● Forms when a sharp

object forms a cut or
tear in the skin
● Sometimes, the cut or
tear is large and
requires stitches
Treatment for Wounds (E)

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

Call 000
DRSABCD Clean the wound with Use gauze (or clean For a cut, raise and
water or sterile wipes cloth) and apply support the injured
● a wound won’t
pressure on wound part above the level
stop bleeding
or surrounding to of the heart. Avoid
● a foreign object
control bleeding touching the wound.
is embedded in
the wound –
like a splinter of
wood or glass
● the wound is
from a human
or animal bite
● you think the
wound might be
infected
Amputations (E)
Embedded Object (E)
1. Use gauze and apply pressure
surrounding the protruding object to
control bleeding
2. Position padding around the object
to prevent the object from twisting or
moving, bandage over and around
the padding to secure the foreign
object
3. If the object is quite long, ensure the
bandaging around the object has
positioned it securely
4. Seek medical assistance, if severe
injury or if you are unable to safely
move the casualty call triple zero
(000)
Embedded Object (E)
In this case the object is a pair of
scissors. By applying padding
around the scissors and
bandaging around the scissors
they are held in place
Avulsion (M)
An avulsion is a partial or complete tearing away of skin and the tissue beneath.
Avulsions usually occur during violent accidents, such as body-crushing accidents,
explosions, and gunshots. They bleed heavily and rapidly.

They will range in severity, the image to the right is very minor.
Puncture Wounds (M)
Puncture wounds are often caused by sharp objects such as a nail breaking through
the skin. Other puncture wounds which are less likely include gunshot wounds and stab
wounds.

1. DRSABCD
2. Remove any clothing covering the wound
3. Keep the wound as clean as possible, do not use dirty clothing or materials if
possible
4. If the wound is not bleeding clean around it
5. If the wound is bleeding apply gauze around the wound and apply pressure to
control bleeding
6. DO NOT try to remove any foreign materials found in the wound
7. Check if there is an exit wound on the opposite side of the opening
8. Apply a sterile dressing
9. Ensure casualty is seated in a comfortable position
10. Seek medical assistance, call triple zero (000) if blood loss seems severe
 Puncture Wounds Neck, Chest and Back
(M) back and neck are extremely dangerous as they can lead
Puncture wounds to the chest,
to a pneumothorax where air begins to leak into the chest cavity. Often after a lung is
punctured.

To treat this you should:

1. DRSABCD (calling an ambulance and if possible radioing for a MAT/HERT team)

2. Put gloves on and keep a hand over the wound while preparing a dressing. You can
instruct the injured person to cover the wound with their hand
3. Find a chest seal or just use the sterile plastic of a dressing wrapper
4. Place whatever you have over any hole that’s sucking in air, including entry and exit
wounds.
5. Secure it with tape leaving one open side to let out air without letting air in.
Puncture Wounds (M)

Example done by using the

inside of a gauze packet wrapper
which is for the most part sterile
Discharge Advice (M)
Giving advice is an important part of what we do.

You want to give your patient enough information to be able to ensure their wound
can be managed at home if it is not severe. When sending someone back to the
event or home, it is good practice to explain to them the signs of infection so they
know when they need to see a GP/Doctor and also tell them how they can cope
with the pain for example if you have paracetamol at home you can take 2 500mg
tablets every 4-6 hours.
Soft Tissue Injury
Soft Tissue Injuries can be grouped into two categories:

Acute injuries: They are caused by a sudden trauma, such as a fall, twist, or blow
to the body. Examples include sprains, strains, and contusions.

Overuse injuries: These can occur gradually over time when an athletic or other
activity is repeated so often that areas of the body do not have enough time to
heal between occurrences. Tendinitis and bursitis are common soft-tissue overuse
injuries.
Soft Tissue injury Treatment
RICE:

- Rest. Take a break from the activity that caused the injury
- Ice. Use cold packs for 20 minutes at a time, several times.
- Compression. To prevent additional swelling and blood loss.
- Elevation. To reduce swelling, elevate the injury higher than your heart while
resting.