Characteristics of External Bleeding Flashcards
What is considered severe bleeding?
Severe bleeding is indicated by:
* Poor general appearance with no response to stimuli
* Signs and symptoms of shock (hypoperfusion)
* Significant blood loss
* Rapid and ongoing blood loss
* Inability to control bleeding
* Bleeding associated with a significant mechanism of injury (MOI)
MOI refers to the circumstances surrounding an injury, which can help gauge the severity of the bleeding.
What is the appearance of arterial bleeding?
Arterial bleeding is bright red and spurts in time with the pulse
This is due to the blood being oxygen-rich.
How does venous bleeding differ from arterial bleeding?
Venous bleeding is darker than arterial blood and can flow slowly or rapidly, depending on vein size. It typically does not spurt and is easier to manage, but can still be life-threatening
Venous blood is oxygen-poor.
What characterizes capillary bleeding?
Capillary bleeding is dark red and oozes steadily but slowly from a wound
Venous and capillary blood is more likely to clot spontaneously than arterial blood.
How quickly does bleeding tend to stop on its own?
Bleeding tends to stop within about 10 minutes due to internal mechanisms and exposure to air
This is facilitated by vasoconstriction and the formation of a clot.
What is the process called when a clot forms to seal an injured blood vessel?
The process is called coagulation
It involves the narrowing of the blood vessel and the formation of a clot.
What can prevent effective clot formation?
Effective clot formation can be prevented by:
* Severe injury to the blood vessel
* Movement
* Disease processes
* Certain medications (e.g., blood thinners)
* Removal of bandages
* External environment
* Body temperature
These factors can affect the blood’s clotting ability.
What is hemophilia?
Hemophilia is a condition where a person lacks one or more blood clotting factors
It is often hereditary and can result in spontaneous bleeding.
What should be done for an injured patient with hemophilia?
Transport any injured patient with hemophilia immediately
All injuries can be potentially serious for these patients due to ineffective clotting.
True or False: Arterial bleeding is easier to control than venous bleeding.
False
Arterial bleeding is difficult to control due to the pressure causing it to spurt.
Fill in the blank: Capillary bleeding is characterized by _______ and oozes from the wound steadily.
dark red
