BLEED
Recently, Paul Gantt, SCM President and former firefighter-paramedic, received a call from a family member. Their mother had gotten a cut on her arm, and it seemed to be bleeding more than it should. He realized that the mother was on anti-coagulants, which often cause excessive bleeding. The remedy was simple though. The mother could get something to put over the wound, i.e., a dressing, hold the dressing in place while applying direct pressure, and then raise her arm. Holding the arm above the level of the heart for a length of time would allow the bleeding to slow and help it to stop.
Here’s the interesting part, which maybe you already know. Paul told the family member to have her mother rest the arm on her head. For many of us, holding an arm up for 15 – 20 minutes would be quite tiring. But resting it on top of your head would accomplish the goal of holding the arm aloft and giving the arm some support.
Here’s the interesting part, which maybe you already know. Paul told the family member to have her mother rest the arm on her head. For many of us, holding an arm up for 15 – 20 minutes would be quite tiring. But resting it on top of your head would accomplish the goal of holding the arm aloft and giving the arm some support.
When we think of what to do for a wound, at SCM we think of the acronym B-L-E-E-D.
B – Barrier. Put a barrier between you and someone else’s blood. Always. Remember one simple lesson. If the blood is not yours, use a barrier to protect yourself. If you don’t have a barrier readily available, engage the victim to hold the dressing on their own wound. This does two things, it gets pressure onto the wound quickly and allows you to get your gloves on, and it also gets the person involved in their own care which sometimes can be helpful as they regain a feeling of control that is often lost when we are injured.
L – Locate and examine. Where is the wound? Is there a foreign object in the wound? Assess the patient for shock.
E – External direct pressure. Apply pressure to the wound, using a dressing. The amount of pressure should be like the amount that you would use in a firm handshake.
E – Elevate the wound. It may not always be possible but try to get the wound above the level of the patient’s heart.
D – Dressing. Use a dressing, hopefully a sterile one if it is available. Do not remove the dressing, even if it becomes saturated with blood. Just apply another dressing over top of the first one, and keep the wound firmly held and over the level of the patient’s heart.
In Paul’s case, the patient’s wound stopped bleeding within 15 to 20 minutes. No stitches were required. All ended well.
Weekly Safety Challenge:
Does your job site have a first aid kit? What is in it? Are there gloves in the kit? We recommend you open the kit and review it with your coworkers. It’s good to know what is in the kit, where it is, and to become familiar with it before you need it.
