Severe Bleeding

Severe Bleeding

Lesson requirements:

1. Gloves
2. Gauze pads
3. Gauze rolls

Lesson Objectives:

1. Recognize and respond to Bleeding injuries properly.
2. Demonstrate how to tie a bandage properly.

• Discuss: What is severe bleeding?

  • When the skin is broken, you have an open wound.

  • Cuts and scratches are minor wounds because they don’t bleed very much and are normally very small.

  • Severe bleeding is much more serious, and can be life threatening.

• If the bleeding is severe or does not stop, call 911 and attempt to stop the bleeding.

• Treatment

  1. After putting your gloves on, apply direct pressure to the wound with a clean pad, preferably sterile. Maintain pressure until the bleeding stops.

     1. If the pad soaks through with blood, do not remove it. Place a new pad on top instead.
     2. removing pads can remove any scabs that have already stared to form, and make the bleeding worse.
  2. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, make sure 911 has been called.
  3. Monitor the person for shock.
  4. Once the bleeding is controlled, check the skin beyond the injury.
     1. Is it a different temperature than usual?
     2. Is it a different color than the limb on the other side of the body?
     3. Is there any numbness or tingling?
  5. Wrap the injury and dressing with a roll of gauze.
     1. Demonstrate:
        1. Place the end of the bandage on the dressing at a 45° angle.
        2. Wrap the bandage over the dressing.
        3. Once the dressing is covered, roll out the remaining gauze. Using the other hand, pinch the remaining gauze at about the halfway point.
        4. Bring the half (between the injury and your hand) under the limb.
        5. Now that you have one half on each side of the limb, tie a knot using the two halves as the two ends of a rope.
        6. Check the limb beyond the injury again. If there is any change, the bandage may be too tight and must be tied again.
     2. Practice:
        1. Have the students split into pairs.
        2. Have the students practice bandaging wounds with their partners.
        3. Note: If you haven’t already done so, this is a great time to have the students practice removing their gloves properly.