Wounds & Bleeding Acknowledgements Where illustrations have been sourced from the internet, the licencing arrangement under which they have been reproduced is shown in parentheses. VA Picture Author 2, 3,11 bleeding finger crystl (Attribution 2.0) 3,4,9 haematoma KoS (public domain (wikimedia)) 4 incision Thirteen Of Clubs (Attribution-Share Alike 2.0) 4 leg laceration nicole05_bucket (public domain (photobucket)) 4 abrasion on hand unknown (public domain (wikimedia)) 4 puncture Sumlin (Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0) 4 bullet entry LiveUponFaith (public domain (photobucket)) 4 bullet exit LiveUponFaith (public domain (photobucket)) 6 bloody bandage quinn.anya (Attribution ShareAlike 2.0)  7 bleeding thumb Chad Miller (Attribution ShareAlike 2.0)  Wounds & Bleeding

Contents Types of wound Bleeding and clotting Treatment

Wounds Any damage to the skin or underlying tissues Open wound skin is breached blood lost from the body allows infection into the body Closed wound underlying tissues damaged beneath intact skin blood lost from circulation but NOT from the body

Types of wound Open Closed incision laceration abrasion puncture ‘gunshot’ Closed contusion internal bleeding

Bleeding and clotting Ruptured blood vessels Platelets Blood clot Red blood cells Ruptured blood vessels blood cells escape wounded tissue releases chemicals Platelets stick to edges of wound release further chemicals blood vessels contract fibrin threads form Blood clot fibrin threads form mesh over wound, trapping blood cells clot hardens, sealing hole Keep casualty still to help clotting Platelets Damaged blood vessel Blood clot Fibrin threads

Treatment principles Minimise blood loss Help body cope with blood loss Prevent infection Treat for shock

Minor open wounds Treatment clean wound dry wound apply sterile dressing apply firm bandage

Severe bleeding Treatment Severed body part apply pressure raise & support injury apply sterile dressing if more required apply further dressings on top bandage firmly DO NOT use tourniquets immobilise affected area to help blood clotting Severed body part bag it keep cool and dry send with casualty

Internal bleeding signs & symptoms Pain / tenderness Bruising Blood in spittle / urine Shock without obvious blood loss weakness, dizziness pallor, sweating rapid pulse and breathing breathlessness, unconsciousness

Internal bleeding treatment Lie down (legs raised) Arrange evacuation Record breathing pulse response levels treatment Recovery position if casualty loses consciousness

Summary Open wounds Closed wounds Clotting Hygiene Pressure No tourniqets or pressure points