Every year 2.5 million deaths are caused by haemorrhaging globally.
The majority of haemorrhage deaths occur among men.
Haemorrhage following childbirth is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in Australia.
Excessive bleeding, also known as Haemorrhaging, refers to the sudden and excessive loss of blood from the circulatory system due to physical trauma or injury. Haemorrhaging can occur internally or externally, depending on the cause or injury sustained by the body. If not treated immediately excessive bleeding is life threatening.
Excessive bleeding lowers the amount of blood in the circulatory system and severe blood loss makes it impossible for the heart to pump a sufficient amount of blood through the body. Losing more than 20% of your blood supply leads to hypovolemic shock and a person can bleed to death in 5 minutes.
Excessive internal bleeding is a medical emergency and symptoms may not always be obvious, immediate medical assistance is required.
Excessive bleeding is typically caused by major injuries sustained during a traumatic event, such as a car accident or a workplace incident.
External, excessive bleeding typically stems from cuts, abrasions or puncture wounds sustained by the skin. These injuries can vary and be categorised into three types of bleeding; arterial, venous and capillary.
Impact injuries such as a blunt blow to the abdomen, may not result in any external signs of harm, however they can cause serious damage to internal blood vessels and organs that can lead to excessive bleeding within the body.
External excessive bleeding is visible and its severity is generally easy to identify. Different types of bleeding have varying levels of blood loss and differ on how the blood is excreted from the body.
Arterial bleeding, caused by a severed artery is generally a bright red colour and will have a pulsating or spurting blood flow in time with the heart beat. This type of bleeding is the most difficult to control and life threatening. (Insert graphic on how arterial bleeding pulsates)
Venous bleeding, from the veins is steady with a slower flow and a dark red colour. Venous bleeding is easier to control than arterial.
The third type of bleeding is capillary, caused by injured or exposed capillaries. This type of bleeding is the easiest to control.
Internal bleeding can be much harder to diagnose than external bleeding. Sometimes, there is no immediate obvious sign of internal bleeding at all.
When checking for internal bleeding, look out for symptoms such as:
In the event that you suffer a strong impact to your body, yet experience no signs of internal bleeding, it’s a good idea to continue to monitor for symptoms over the coming days and see a medical professional if you feel at all concerned.
For any sign of internal bleeding, seek immediate emergency medical assistance.
If you find yourself in a situation where someone is suffering from excessive external bleeding, it’s essential that you act immediately as this is potentially a life threatening situation.
To begin treatment, follow these steps:
When there is major haemorrhaging from limbs, Tourniquets provide a method for stopping blood loss quickly and as a result are often carried on personal who work in dangerous workplaces and in military situations. (insert image of military personal applying tourniquet)
Tourniquets should be applied 5-8cms away from the edge of the wound towards the heart. The time the tourniquet was applied should be written down and passed onto emergency responders.
At AERO Healthcare, we stock a range of trauma response productsand wound dressings that can effectively treat external bleeding.
Add these products to your medical supplies and first aid kits so you’re always ready should an unexpected accident or injury resulting in bleeding occur.
