Catastrophic Bleeding

FALSE: Sit/lie the patient down and apply direct pressure.

FALSE: DO NOT insert haemostatic dressings into

• Open skull wounds. It will damage the brain.
• Open chest wounds. It will damage the lungs.

FALSE: The wrapper should stay with the patient. One way to do this is to tuck the wrapper it into the trauma dressing bandage.

FALSE: After inserting the haemostatic dressing you must still apply direct pressure. The time varies depending on the make/model of the dressing, so read the instructions. Apply a trauma dressing over the top.

TRUE: All medical dressings have an expiry date. Check that those in your first aid kit are still in date.

TRUE: If there is severe bleeding from the stump, wrap it in the pad and use the elasticated bandage to apply direct pressure. Blast dressings also have a plastic sheet tucked into a pocket that can be used for abdominal wounds.

FALSE: A tourniquet will cause intense pain. The tourniquet can also cause nerve damage. If the tourniquet has to be kept on for too long, the limb will need to be amputated. The tourniquet can save someone’s life but always try to stop the bleeding first by using direct pressure.

FALSE: The tourniquet must not be slackened until the patient gets to hospital.

TRUE: Check that the bleeding has stopped. If not, use a haemostatic dressing or a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.  Check that the patient is still breathing.

TRUE: A patient can die quickly from catastrophic bleeding. Make sure that you have quick easy access to a major trauma/catastrophic bleeding kit.