Heavy Bleeding: What to Do When You Don't Have a First-Aid Kit
Heavy bleeding can be a serious emergency that, if left untreated, can even be fatal. Bleeding has a purpose - which is to clean out an injury - but when too much blood leaves the body, you can go into shock and even die! That’s why it’s important to cater to bleeding emergencies as soon as possible. But there are always situations where you don’t have the supplies needed for this with you. Here’s how to deal with heavy bleeding when you don’t have a first-aid kit on hand. Assess Injury The first thing to do is to assess the injury and determine how severe it is. In some cases, you shouldn’t deal with it yourself, and call professionals instead. This is true in cases of heavy bleeding where the wound has an embedded object. If the wound is deep and jagged, if it is on the face, a result of an animal bite, or keeps bleeding even after 20 minutes have passed, seek immediate care. When losing blood, the patient may be at risk of shock, which you have to be very careful about. ...