Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

7 Bleeding, Wound Care and Trauma

External Bleeding External bleeding results from a wound that penetrates the surface of the skin. Bleeding may be mild to severe. Always suspect associated internal bleeding for wounds that penetrate deeply. The most basic sign of external bleeding is simple. There is blood. Depending on the type of wound and what has been damaged, the blood may be coming from arteries, veins, or capillaries. Arterial bleeding can be difficult to control. Since the blood is under pressure from the beating of the heart. Arterial bleeds have the potential to lose a lot of blood very quickly. Venous bleeding also has the potential to lose blood quickly, but because it is not under the same pressure as arterial blood, it is often easier to control. Capillary bleeding is caused by damage to the tiniest of the blood vessels. It seeps slowly and is not normally a life threat unless large areas are damaged.

Types of bleeding • Arterial – Blood is bright red and spurts from the wound. • Venous – Blood is dark red and flows steadily from the wound. • Capillary – Blood is bright red and seeps slowly from the wound.

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