Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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 Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 2:27 am Post subject: Might just save your life...or help you save someone elses.. |
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What would you do if you were with a stabbing victim? Could you help them? According to this article, maybe you could.
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These simple steps could save stabbing victims' lives
The principles now taught to all trainee surgeons can easily be applied by the public, says Harry Espiner
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An experienced surgeon will instinctively know how to deal with unexpected bleeding; first, gain control above and below the wound before proceeding to deal with the problem. The skill is in knowing just where and how to gain control in a single movement.
If a large artery is severed by a stabbing in the groin or upper thigh, the torrent of blood released under pressure will be obvious externally. It is simple to staunch the haemorrhage by applying very firm pressure just above the injury: the victim must first be pulled out flat; then, kneeling on the same side as the injury, the first-aider uses a clenched fist to apply very firm pressure just above the wound and on a line between it and the belly button.
A second fist, applied to the abdomen just below the belly button, pushing the belly wall hard against the spine, can also be used if the bleeding seems unabated. This action compresses the main artery to the lower body and both legs. A tourniquet or bandage cannot achieve sufficient direct pressure to control bleeding from the large artery in the groin.
Should the stab wound be higher in the abdomen, and a vital organ or large artery lacerated, there may be little external bleeding but the life-threatening haemorrhage will continue as the abdo-minal cavity fills with blood. The only thing a first-aider can do is apply the fist pressure as high as possible, just below the breast bone, and trust some control can be achieved until expert help arrives.
If more people realise they have the power to save lives, then these tragedies could be dramatically reduced.
The golden rule is to stop the flow with your immediate effort, and hang on, no matter how tired you feel or how much discomfort you seem to be causing. Your reassurances to the victim that he or she will not die will be based on a very real likelihood that this will be true.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1781505,00.html |
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