Severe bleeding

What to do

1. Make sure the scene is safe for you. Then call 911, or have someone else call and put the phone on speaker.
2. Put on gloves if you have them. A plastic bag over your hand can work in a pinch. Don’t let that stop you from helping.
3. Find where the blood is coming from. Move or cut away clothing if you need to.
4. Press hard on the wound with a clean cloth, gauze, or your hand. Use both hands and lean your body weight into it.
5. Keep pressing without stopping until help arrives. If blood soaks through, add more cloth on top. Don’t lift the first layer to check.
6. Pack deep wounds. If the wound is deep (for example, in the thigh, armpit, or groin), stuff clean cloth or gauze firmly into it, then keep pressing hard.
7. Keep the person warm and lying down. Cover them with a blanket or coat and talk to them calmly.

Using a tourniquet

A tourniquet is a strap that squeezes an arm or leg tight enough to stop blood flow. Use one for life-threatening bleeding from an arm or leg that pressure isn’t stopping, if one is available.

1. Place it 2 to 3 inches above the wound (closer to the body), not on a joint. If you can’t tell where the wound is, place it high on the arm or leg.
2. Pull the strap tight and fasten it.
3. Twist the rod until the bleeding stops. This will hurt. That is expected.
4. Lock the rod in place and note the time it was put on. Tell emergency responders.
5. Don’t loosen or remove it. Leave that to medical professionals.

Use a manufactured tourniquet if you can. A belt or scarf usually doesn’t work well, and Mayo Clinic advises against improvised tourniquets. If you don’t have a real tourniquet, keep pressing hard on the wound.

Open chest wounds

A wound to the chest that bubbles or sucks air can affect breathing. Call 911. Don’t pack it or seal it airtight with plastic or tape. You can leave it open or cover it loosely with a clean, dry cloth. If breathing gets worse, loosen or remove the covering.

If a body part was cut off

After the bleeding is controlled and 911 has been called, wrap the part in a clean, damp cloth, seal it in a plastic bag, and put the bag in ice water. Don’t put the part directly on ice or in water. Send it with the person to the hospital.

Avoid

• Don’t pull out an object stuck in a wound. Press around it, not on it, and keep it from moving.
• Don’t press on an injured eye or on a head wound if you think the skull may be broken.
• Don’t give the person anything to eat or drink.

Want to be ready? Free and low-cost Stop the Bleed classes teach these skills hands-on.