Ways in Which Mild Bleeding can be Stopped During First Aid

The first is the preparation stage. Usually during imparting first aid people are faced with mild bleeding. The first thing one must do before embarking on imparting any kind of first aid is to wash hands thoroughly.

Next step is to put on some gloves before touching the injured person. Gloves preferably made of latex. Care should be taken that if blood is spurting out then protective glasses and a mask should be used.

Next is the stage of applying pressure and elevation.

Here one should first pack the mouth of the wound with sterile gauze, if the open wound is large and wide.

Then direct pressure should be applied to the wound using your hands and a piece of sterile gauze. If a sterile gauze or even simple gauze is not available a folded cloth such as a bandanna can also be used.

This pressure should be maintained on the wound for 5 minutes. Bleeding pressure should be checked after doing this. Care should be taken that pressure is taken off slowly. Bleeding usually stops within 2 to 5 minutes of doing this procedure.

After doing this the limb on which the wound is should be elevated above the level of the heart. This should be done while applying pressure and if you do not suspect a fracture.

In the mean time the bandage will get blood soaked. To counter this, place additional sterile bandages on top of blood soaked bandages. The gauze that is already in place should not be removed as this can hinder the clotting.

If the bleeding does not stop even after 15 or 20 minutes of direct pressure apply pressure to pressure points.

The next stage is that of aftercare.

In this stage the first thing you need to do is to immobilize the limb. This could be done by a splint if there is serious bleeding from limbs. And finally once the bleeding has stopped or controlled the wound needs to be cleaned and dressed properly so as to prevent infection.

Some common precautions and tips regarding this treatment are:

- Get the injured person to apply direct pressure to the wound if possible. This will help prevent the spread of infectious disease

- One should be careful as diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis get transferred during exchange of bodily fluids. This is why one should always protect themselves and use gloves and a surgical mask.

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