Home › Accidents And Sudden Sickness › HEMORRHAGES

HEMORRHAGES

Bleeding from the nose may be stopped by lying flat on the back, with the head raised, and the hands held above it. The nose must be covered with a cloth filled with pounded ice, or wrung out of ice-water. The head should never be held over a basin, as the position encourages bleed.. ting. The blood may be received in a wet sponge.

When any one coughs or spits up blood, the first thought is that it must be from the lungs. A slight knowledge of the characteristics of the blood from different parts that may come through the mouth will sometimes save much needless anxiety.

Blood from the lungs is always bright red in color, because it has just been purified by contact with the air. It is frothy, mixed with mucus, in small quantity, and is usually coughed up.

Blood from the stomach is dark red, almost black, is mixed with particles of food, comes in large quantities, and is vomited.

Blood from the mouth and gums is of a red color and usually mixed with saliva. Unless it has first been swallowed, it is not vomited or coughed up. In hemorrhage from the lungs the head and shoulders must be raised. Some physicians recommend a table-spoonful of table salt to be given in a tumbler of water. It is always safe to give cracked ice. Bleeding from the stomach may be checked by the application of a mustard plaster over the stomach; cracked ice should be given and the doctor sent for.

In bleeding from wounds or recent amputation there are three things that may be done:

First, press the finger or the hand over the bleeding point. Second, press on the main artery supplying the wound, or, if this can not be found, apply a bandage as tightly as possible above the wound. An excellent tourniquet may be improvised by knotting a handkerchief loosely around the limb, thrusting a short stick through it and twisting it tight. The blood from an artery is bright red and comes in spurts with each beat of the heart, while that from the veins is a dark purplish color and flows in a steady stream. When the bleeding is from an artery, the pressure should be applied between the wound and the heart; when from a vein, the limb must be compressed beyond the wound.

Third, raise the part above the rest of the body, that the blood may drain out of it, and support it on pillows. It should be bathed in ice-water and have ice wrapped in cotton cloths laid on it.

If faintness ensues, the sufferer should not be immediately roused, as this is nature's remedy, and acts by lessening the force and activity of the circulation. If any part of the body has been cut off, it should be cleaned of foreign matter, and at once replaced, wrapped in cotton to retain warmth, and a gentle pressure kept on it to retain it in place. Circulation is often restored and the union made complete.