Any kind of bleeding in the wilderness can quickly progress from a small injury to a big problem if proper treatment isn’t given to the patient. Even a small cut or wound can get infected and leave the patient uncomfortable, sick, or in pain from the infection. Knowing how to treat a wound using proper wilderness first aid can help your patient continue on the journey, or allow them to be evacuated to a hospital or health care provider.
This WFR student has a bleeding laceration to his forehead. What is needed to stop the bleeding here?
Any major laceration or bleeding can be very serious. The first priority is to control and stop the bleed. This can be accomplished by placing pressure on the cut or wound. Make sure you have protected yourself by donning gloves and ensuring that the scene is safe for you to approach. If you do not have gloves, a good trick is to ask the patient to place pressure over their own bleed with their hand, or an ABD or gauze pad. If the bleed is arterial, you will need to place and hold pressure for longer than a small, superficial cut or scrape. Maxi-pads also make a great addition to a first aid kit as they are absorbent and inexpensive!
This patient needed 6 stitches in his cheek to close this laceration he received from hitting a rock kayaking. The patient used his own hand to create enough pressure for the bleed to stop.
Once firm pressure has been applied, the wound may be wrapped using an ACE bandage or gauze wrap. Wrap the bleed tightly enough to control the bleed, but not so tightly that you cut off circulation to the extremity. Periodically check circulation, sensation and movement of extremities distal (away from the heart) to the wrapped bleed.
Caring for wounds in a wilderness environment can be a challenge with environmental factors like dirt, activity, lack of supplies and inexperience. To make sure you are ready to care for any wounds you may encounter on your adventures, make sure to get good Wilderness First Aid training. Certifications like Wilderness First Aid (WFA), Wilderness Advanced First Aid (WAFA) and Wilderness First Responder (WFR) all offer great training opportunities for the adventurous student. Take a look at the course offerings from Sierra Rescue if you are interested in this type of training.
