Tourniquet is a device used to stop or reduce excessive bleeding for a period of time. A tourniquet works by applying pressure on the wound, constricting the opening to prevent more blood from flowing out.
A tourniquet can only be used in limbs and can cause more serious problems when not done properly. So, here are the steps that you have to follow to successfully use a tourniquet to help a victim.
1. Call 911 or any medical emergency number.
If there is another person aside from you and the victim, you can ask that person to call 911. If not, then you could do this later on and concentrate on preventing excessive blood loss of the victim first. You can also use any medical alert systems if there are any.
2. Safeguard the victim and protect yourself.
You can put a clean cloth under the victim's wound to lessen the possibility of infection. With that, make sure that you are not going to get infected, too. Wear gloves if there are any available. Fresh, clean gloves should always be present in any first aid kit.
3. Expose the wound.
Tear the clothing that is covering the wound to allow you to get a better look at the injury. You can use a pair of scissors or a knife if you cannot rip the clothing by hand. Just be very careful as not to hurt the patient even more.
4. Apply pressure to the wound.
Gauze or any sterile bandages can be used over the wound. Press it a bit to stop the bleeding and prevent the wound from getting infected by germs. If there is no gauze available, then you can use a clean towel or cloth. Using these materials aside from the sterile bandages may cause infection to the wound, too. However, it would be better to cover the wound first with them for the meantime, to protect it from more harmful factors like dust or other bacteria.
5. Make a tourniquet.
You would only go to this step if the process before does not stop the bleeding. A
tourniquet can be anything that you can tie around the limb. It could be a belt, shirt, bag strap or even shoelaces. Just as long as it is long enough to be tied around the limb then you can use it as a tourniquet. After securing the material, tie it around the limb two inches away from the body. Do not tie it around the wound or any joint. Tie a knot and get a torsion device. A torsion device is something you could use to tighten and secure the knots. Put it over the knot that you just did and tie the rope or belt around it. Twist the device and secure it in place by tying it on the limb with the loose end of the rope. You have already made sure that the blood would temporarily be stopped from flowing out. After that, wait for rescue to arrive. While waiting, you can check the victim for shock, pulse and breathing. Tourniquets that are left on the victim for a long period of time can also cause some serious harm. It can block the
nutrition source completely and can injure blood vessels and nerves. You can
learn more at bayalarmmedical.com for other first aid measures.
