Which steps best describe how to control external bleeding in the first aid setting?

Which steps best describe how to control external bleeding in the first aid setting?

• A. Remove clot to clean wound; apply ointment; no EMS.
• B. Apply direct pressure with sterile dressing, avoid removing clots, bandage wounds, and seek EMS for severe or uncontrolled bleeding; consider a tourniquet for life-threatening bleeding.
• C. Rinse with water and apply lotion; rest.
• D. Use tourniquet for every bleed.

Answer: (B)

Stopping external bleeding starts with applying direct pressure and protecting the wound. Using a sterile dressing, press firmly over the wound to squeeze the injured blood vessels and slow or stop the flow. The body’s clotting process is helping here, so avoid removing any clots that form; disturbing them can restart or worsen bleeding. Once pressure is being applied, bandage the dressing in place to help maintain that pressure; if blood soaks through, place more dressings on top rather than removing the initial one, then continue to apply pressure. Seek emergency medical help for bleeding that is severe, spurting, or not controllable with direct pressure. If bleeding remains life-threatening or cannot be slowed with direct pressure, a tourniquet may be used on an extremity to halt blood flow to the wound; this is a last resort and should be applied according to proper training, securing it above the wound and not over a joint, and noting the time it was applied. Other approaches like rinsing with water and applying lotion, or using a tourniquet for every bleed, do not fit because they don’t address the need to control bleeding safely and proportionately.

Stopping external bleeding starts with applying direct pressure and protecting the wound. Using a sterile dressing, press firmly over the wound to squeeze the injured blood vessels and slow or stop the flow. The body’s clotting process is helping here, so avoid removing any clots that form; disturbing them can restart or worsen bleeding. Once pressure is being applied, bandage the dressing in place to help maintain that pressure; if blood soaks through, place more dressings on top rather than removing the initial one, then continue to apply pressure.

Seek emergency medical help for bleeding that is severe, spurting, or not controllable with direct pressure. If bleeding remains life-threatening or cannot be slowed with direct pressure, a tourniquet may be used on an extremity to halt blood flow to the wound; this is a last resort and should be applied according to proper training, securing it above the wound and not over a joint, and noting the time it was applied.

Other approaches like rinsing with water and applying lotion, or using a tourniquet for every bleed, do not fit because they don’t address the need to control bleeding safely and proportionately.