Overview
Gwen D. Meyer, M.S.N., R.N., Mayo Clinic Trauma Center outreach coordinator, explains the ABCs of stopping the bleed in someone who's been injured: A = Alert someone. B = Assess the bleeding source. C = Compress the area with a wound dressing or a tourniquet application.
GWEN MEYER: Oh, my goodness.
SPEAKER 1: So much blood coming off. I just can't get it to stop.
IAN ROTH: A sawing accident, a car crash, or a gunshot wound-- whatever the case, when the blood starts pouring, saving a life starts with stopping the bleed. And stopping the bleed comes down to A-B-C.
GWEN MEYER: First, alert somebody. If you come upon a scene and see something, call 911. Yell out to somebody to get help.
9-1-1, yes. We're at the corner of--
Bleeding, look for that bleeding source. Is there a lot of blood around the area? What are we looking at? Find the bleeding source.
OK, let me take a peek here.
C-- we're going to compress that area, be it with a wound and dressing application or with tourniquet application.
We're going to go ahead and put a tourniquet on because you're bleeding very bad, sir.
IAN ROTH: Mayo Clinic trauma nurse Gwen Meyer teaches courses on how to stop the bleed, and says getting a tourniquet placed two inches above wounds on the limbs can be the difference between life and death.
She says she's seen too many cases end badly because people didn't know what to do. So just remember, A, alert, B, assess the bleeding, and C, compress the wound. For the Mayo Clinic News Network, I'm Ian Roth.