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Try direct compression first to stop the bleeding. After the bleeding has stopped, wrap a cloth, gauze or towel tightly around the wound without cutting off circulation.
If the bleeding is severe and does not stop with direct pressure, a tight tourniquet is used to stop the flow of blood to prevent shock to the patient.
Keep bandages, gauze, 1 blanket, 2 pairs of non-latex gloves, gauze bandages, 2 triangular bandages, tweezers, and aspirin in your first aid kit.
How to give first aid to stop bleeding
In an emergency, most people’s first instinct is to find a way to call 911 as soon as possible. It’s an important instinct that should never be ignored, but are you prepared to provide emergency care for yourself or another injured person minutes before help arrives?
We believe that everyone should know basic first aid techniques to help themselves and others injured in an emergency. Even if you’re lucky enough to call an ambulance just minutes away, every second counts in an emergency. Knowing how to stop severe bleeding before medical help arrives can go a long way in helping someone recover and, in some cases, save their life.
What to do before helping an injured person
The first step in helping someone in an emergency is to recognize someone who needs help. Sometimes a person who is bleeding may not call for help, and the adrenaline rush of the moment makes it difficult to feel the pain or fully understand the severity of the injury.
If you are uninjured and in an emergency, pay attention to those around you who may need help. Make sure you’re safe before you help them – you can’t help anyone if you’re a victim. Try to move the injured person to a safe, level surface – for example, if they are on a hill, carefully help them or take them to a footpath; if they are in a crowd, take them to a less crowded place.
Before you treat someone’s wound, if you don’t know where the bleeding is coming from, try to expose the bleeding wound. Do not try to remove anything from the wound, or force anything stuck or difficult to remove from the wound.
Apply direct pressure
One of the most important ways to stop heavy bleeding is to apply pressure directly to the wound with heavy gauze, a towel, shirt, or other folded cloth. If blood has soaked through the first cloth, find another cloth to put on top of the first cloth – do not remove the first cloth or loosen the pressure. Add new pads every 10 minutes until the bleeding stops or until help arrives.
Once the bleeding has stopped, fasten the cloth with whatever you have available (eg, shoelaces, neckties, cloth tape, etc.). Bandage the wound with enough pressure to keep it from actively bleeding, as you risk cutting off blood flow to other limbs and not being able to use it as a bandage.
If the injured person is bleeding profusely from the arm or leg, keep the limb elevated above the level of the heart.