Treatment for External Bleeding

1 Remember scene safety first (fire, wire, glass, gas, chemicals).

2 Use standard infection control precautions

3 Reassure the patient.

4 Assess the wound and locate the source of bleeding. If necessary remove any clothing in order to establish the source of bleeding.

5 In the event of your finding a foreign object embedded in the wound ensure that you do not remove it.

6 Apply direct pressure to the wound. If there is a foreign object present, apply pressure around it. NEVER apply pressure to the embedded object.

7 If possible, elevate the injured area.

8 Apply a sterile dressing and bandage

9 Check to ensure that the bandage is not too tight.

10 Where the blood seeps through the first dressing, apply a second dressing without removing the first.