Question

Your patient is a 12-year-old boy who ran his arm through a glass window and has an 8-inch laceration on his anterior forearm. You have applied a pressure dressing and bandage, but these have become saturated due to continued bleeding. Which of the following should you do now?

A. Remove the pressure dressing and bandage, apply an ice pack to the wound, and bandage it in place with an elastic bandage.
B. Elevate that arm and prepare to apply a tourniquet or consider administering a hemostatic agent.
C. Apply additional dressing material, bandage it in place, and apply pressure to the brachial artery.
D. Remove the pressure dressing and bandage, apply direct pressure with your gloved hand, and elevate the arm.

Answer 1

Elevating the injured arm and preparing to apply a tourniquet or use a hemostatic agent are the appropriate next steps when continued bleeding occurs despite a pressure dressing.

Step-by-step explanation:

When there's continued bleeding despite a pressure dressing, it's critical to immediately take steps to control the hemorrhage. The correct next step is to elevate the arm and prepare to apply a tourniquet if necessary or use a hemostatic agent. Applying a tourniquet is a serious measure and should be done only when other measures fail and severe arterial bleeding is suspected. Hemostatic agents help promote clotting and may control the bleeding. Elevating the arm can help reduce blood flow to the injury, aiding in controlling the bleed.

If the bleeding is not controlled by elevation, direct pressure, or a pressure bandage, and the situation is life-threatening, call emergency services immediately. Tourniquets are a last-resort option and should only be used if you're trained in their application and when all other methods have failed to stop life-threatening bleeding. Additionally, understanding where to apply pressure and knowing what constitutes severe bleeding requiring a tourniquet is essential.