Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

7 Bleeding, Wound Care and Trauma

Principles of dressing use • Use a dressing that covers the wound entirely and extends past the edges of the wound. Use multiple dressings if required. • Avoid lifting or removing dressings once they have been in contact with a wound. • If a dressing becomes soaked through with blood, then apply more dressings on top and continue applying pressure. • Secure dressings with adhesive tape or bandages. • Reassess often to ensure bleeding remains controlled, but do not lift dressings from the wound.

First Aider in Action: Part 3 You tell Anita to maintain pressure on the wound while you wait for the first aid kit. Although you want to help your friend, you know that you must wear gloves to avoid contaminating the wound and to prevent disease transmission. The first aid kit arrives and you quickly don a pair of gloves and open two dressings and a triangle bandage in preparation. Anita tells you that she is feeling both nauseous and faint. The wound is still bleeding slowly while Anita maintains pressure. Is the bleeding a life threat? How can you reduce the symptoms that Anita is feeling?

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