HELP! Pressure points and bleeding control

[armymedic571]

Take a standard first aid course.

plus 1 for cool graphics.........

[ERDoc]

Agreed on the cool graphic, though I would not encourage going around and compressing everyones carotid.

[Lone Star]

Pressure points can be useful if you know your anatomy. A BP cuff makes a great tourniquet. Inflate it to a few tics above the systolic pressure (don't forget to follow your protocols).

Wouldn't the same concept apply with the B/P cuff as with a tourniquet? Inflate the cuff until the bleeding stops, irrespective of the systolic pressure?

Maybe I'm misreading it, and the effects are the same....

[ERDoc]

Yeah, that is what I was getting at (sorry I didn't make it clear). On an ambulance it is easily accessable and doesn't require the improvisation that a jimmy rigged tourniquet may require. Although I would not recommend this method for controling facial/scalp bleeding.

[Chief1C]

Take an old single tube BP cuff. Take off the manometer, just add a bulb. Keep a curved hemostat with it, b/c IMO, they're stronger than straight. Inflate it till the bleeding stops, clamp it. You've got yourself a pneumatic tourniquet.

Nice thing is, you can wash it and reuse it.

[Richard B the EMT]

In the circles I travel in, the part of a BP Cuff that wraps around and inflates, is sometimes actually referred to as a tourniquet.

As ER Doc infers, the use of any tourniquet is discouraged for treating epitaxis (nosebleeds).

[CBEMT]

As ER Doc infers, the use of any tourniquet is discouraged for treating epitaxis (nosebleeds).

How about a partner with verbal diarrhea?

[Chief1C]

Stick a foley up their nose and inflate it gently.

[tniuqs]

How about a partner with verbal diarrhea?

Boo Koo dah Benzo ....

[fakingpatience]

Take a standard first aid course.

Thanks for the picture, that is really helpful!

I am however a little insulted that you told me to take a basic first aid course... as I said, in my EMT class we used the current national recommendation that pressure points really arent' the best option when dealing with bleeding, and it is better to just use a tourniquet, and on the ambulance I worked on we had tourniquets and quick clot for bleeds (not that I ever had a call where any of the above techniques were necessary!)

So, just making sure I understand this right, once the bleeding is under control with a pressure point, after 5 mins, you can release the pressure point (assuring the wound is bandaged)?

Also, and though I don't need to know this for the test/ interview, in general, for those of you with pressure points in your protocol/ used to use them, how long do you attempt the use of a pressure point before going to a tourniquet?