Severe bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death, with victims loosing their lives in a matter of minutes unless someone can stop the bleed. First aid training empowers ordinary people to go from bystander to hero by giving them the life-saving skills to stop bleeding before emergency medical help arrives.
Anyone can learn advanced bleeding control techniques. You don’t need medical training, just the knowledge and confidence to act when someone needs help. Whether it’s a workplace accident, car crash, or a serious injury at home, the person closest to the victim often has the greatest chance to control life-threatening bleeding and save a life.
Types of Bleeding Emergencies
Recognising different types of bleeding trauma can help choose the appropriate stop the bleed techniques for each situation. Each type of severe bleeding injury has unique factors that affect which treatment decisions are best:
Arterial bleeding produces bright red blood that spurts or pulses with each heartbeat. High pressure causes the blood to shoot out forcefully, and it may create an arc pattern when the wound is large enough. Blood loss is typically high.
Venous bleeding flows steadily with darker, maroon-coloured blood. Venous bleeding typically flows slowly as the veins are carrying blood back to the heart, meaning pressure is lower. However, without quick action venous bleeding is serious as blood loss can can still be quite high.
Capillary bleeding seeps slowly from minor wounds, either oozing or appearing as small droplets. This superficial bleeding usually comes from shallow scrapes or cuts, and stops on its own or with minimal intervention.
Internal bleeding occurs inside the body where it cannot be seen. Signs may include shock, abdominal pain, severe bruising, or altered consciousness. Internal bleeding requires immediate professional medical attention.
Basic First Aid to Control Bleeding
Most bleeding can be controlled using simple stop the bleed techniques with no special equipment. These basic bleeding control techniques will work to help control bleeding in the majority of bleeding injuries you’ll encounter:
Bandaging
Use bandaging for cuts longer than 2-3 centimetres, wounds that gape open, or injuries on curved areas like joints where maintaining pressure is otherwise difficult. Bandages work well for venous bleeding, but may not be enough to control and arterial bleed.
Wrap the bandage around the injured area with firm, even tension, starting below the wound and working upwards. Each wrap should overlap the previous one. Secure the end with tape, clips, or by tucking it under previous wraps.
The bandage should be tight enough to control bleeding but not so tight that it cuts off circulation. A bandage is too tight if it causes numbness, tingling, or the area beyond the bandage turning blue or white. If this happens, rewrap the bandage less tightly.
Limb Elevation
Elevating bleeding limbs above the level of the heart helps reduce blood flow through gravity. This basic method works particularly well for minor to moderate bleeding from arms and legs, and works best when combined with other methods. Care must be taken when elevating limbs to avoid worsening the injury.
Direct Pressure
Direct pressure involves applying firm, steady pressure using clean materials such as gauze, cloth, haemostatic agents, or even your bare hands. This pressure compresses the blood vessels and allows the body’s natural clotting to stop blood loss.
Place the palm of your hand directly over the bleeding area and press down firmly with steady, even force. Use your body weight to help maintain pressure rather than just arm strength. Hold this position for at least 10-15 minutes without lifting to check if bleeding has stopped, as releasing pressure too early can restart bleeding. Adding additional layers of material over soaked dressings, rather than removing them, helps maintain the clotting process that has already begun.
Advanced Bleeding Control Techniques
When basic techniques aren’t enough, knowing these advanced stop the bleed techniques to help can control severe bleeding:
Pressure Points
Pressure points are locations which when pressed against reduce blood flow to the affected area, and works best when combined with direct pressure to the wound. Pressure points include:
Brachial artery (for arm bleeding): Place your fingers on the inside of the upper arm, halfway between the armpit and elbow.
Femoral artery (for leg bleeding): Place the heel of your hand in the groin crease where the leg meets the torso. Press straight down firmly against the pelvic bone.
Subclavian artery (for shoulder bleeding): Place your thumb in the hollow just behind the collarbone, about one-third of the way out from the neck. Press down and back against the first rib.
Temporal artery (for scalp bleeding): Place your fingers just in front of the ear where you can feel the pulse at the temple. Press firmly against the skull.
Tourniquets
Tourniquets provide the most reliable method to stop life-threatening bleeding from arms and legs, but aren’t without their risks. Place the tourniquet around the limb and tighten it until the bleeding stops completely. The person applying the tourniquet should note the time of application, as they can cause tissue damage if left on too long and emergency medical services need to know exactly when it’s safe to remove.
If you don’t have access to a commercial tourniquet, improvised tourniquets can be made from belts or cloth.
Wound Packing
Deep wounds that cannot be controlled through direct pressure or are in areas where a tourniquet cannot be used may require wound packing. Insert gauze or haemostatic dressings to fill the cavity completely, which applies internal pressure.
Only use wound packing if you have received training in this method, as improper technique can cause additional harm.
Empower Yourself to Stop the Bleed and Save a Life
Bleeding control techniques can save a life, but these skills require proper training. Our professional first aid training includes advanced bleeding control techniques alongside other life-saving skills, including CPR, treating burns, managing fractures, handling allergic reactions, and responding to heart attacks and strokes
Every Australian can be empowered to help others by learning these stop the bleed techniques. The few hours invested in comprehensive Provide First Aid training can give you the skills you need to take the first step towards becoming a responder who can save lives.
FAQs
Severe bleeding is consistently identified as the leading cause of preventable death in trauma situations. Research from Australia’s National Coronial Information System found that traumatic injuries accounted for 38% of uncontrolled bleeding fatalities.
A bleeding control kit should contain commercial tourniquets, gauze pads, elastic bandages, trauma shears, nitrile gloves, and haemostatic dressings. Also include a permanent marker for noting tourniquet application time.
Call emergency services immediately. Even without training, maintaining firm pressure and limb elevation can control serious bleeding injuries.
