What are the steps for bleeding control in a laceration?

Enhance your trauma care skills with the Platinum Trauma Exam. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations. Prepare now!

Multiple Choice

What are the steps for bleeding control in a laceration?

The essential idea is a stepwise approach to stopping a laceration bleed. Begin with direct pressure on the wound to compress the vessels and slow the bleed, which also starts clot formation. Then add a pressure dressing to maintain that pressure and protect the wound while bleeding decreases. If the bleeding keeps going despite direct pressure, escalate to a tourniquet as a last resort to stop arterial flow to the limb. Use a tourniquet only on a limb, tight enough to stop the bleed, and note the time of application. This sequence—direct pressure, then a pressure dressing, then a tourniquet if needed—balances effective control with caution to tissue safety.

The essential idea is a stepwise approach to stopping a laceration bleed. Begin with direct pressure on the wound to compress the vessels and slow the bleed, which also starts clot formation. Then add a pressure dressing to maintain that pressure and protect the wound while bleeding decreases. If the bleeding keeps going despite direct pressure, escalate to a tourniquet as a last resort to stop arterial flow to the limb. Use a tourniquet only on a limb, tight enough to stop the bleed, and note the time of application. This sequence—direct pressure, then a pressure dressing, then a tourniquet if needed—balances effective control with caution to tissue safety.

More practice questions