One thing I’ve learned over the years when treating large cuts: You can never have enough gauze. Whether you have a stack of 4″ x 4″ gauze pads, rolled gauze, z-fold compressed gauze, Israeli bandages, ABD pads, or all of the above, keep all of your medical kits well stocked with more gauze than you think you’re going to need.
And while we’re on the topic of treating wounds, here are your basic rules of thumb:
- Always apply pressure. Pressure is your best friend when you’re trying to stop blood in its tracks. If it’s a superficial wound, cover it with gauze and keep adding more gauze until the bleeding stops.
- If pressure doesn’t stop the bleeding, or if blood is squirting or spraying out of the wound, you’ll need to apply pressure and, if the wound is on an arm or leg, also apply a tourniquet. Find a Stop the Bleed class where you can learn how to properly apply tourniquets and even practice putting one on!
- Once the bleeding has stopped, you can use an Ace wrap, medical tape, or an Israeli bandage to keep the gauze in place until you can get to more advanced medical services.
If you are interested in taking a Stop the Bleed class, reach out to us via our Classes and Training Page and we’ll figure out how to make it happen. In our class, we will teach you the basics around stopping bleeding, and show you how to use all the various gauzes and tools mentioned in this article.
Stay prepared!