Severe Bleeding – tourniquet or pressure?

29 April 2025/in Blog

When to Use a Tourniquet

According to the Australian Resuscitation Council Guidelines, a tourniquet should be used in situations where there is severe bleeding that is life-threatening and cannot be controlled by direct pressure. Time is a critical factor to prevent blood loss that can lead to potential fatality. Stopping a life threatening bleed will take a priority over airway and breathing interventions. Scenarios where a tourniquet is appropriate include:

Extremity injuries with significant blood loss such as an amputation, partial amputation, open fractures, shark attack, propeller cuts or similar.
Instances where direct pressure does not suffice to manage the bleeding on a limb
Situations where the location or nature of the injury makes it difficult to apply direct pressure on the limb.
Inadequate resources or time to control bleeding through other means such as applying pressure to the wound.

How to Use a Tourniquet for a Life-Threatening Bleed

Using a tourniquet effectively can be vital in controlling severe bleeding. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Identify the site of the severe bleeding.
Place the tourniquet approximately 5-10 cm above the bleeding site, avoiding joints.
Tighten the tourniquet until the bleeding stops, ensuring it is secure but not causing further injury.
Cover the exposed wound with sterile dressings if available but do not cover the tourniquet.
Note the time of application, as prolonged use can cause damage to the tissues.
Seek the ambulance immediately after applying the tourniquet.

Alternative Tourniquet Options

If a commercially manufactured tourniquet is not available, various items can be used as improvised tourniquets. These include:

Belts
Strips of cloth or clothing
Scarves or bandanas
Ropes or cords

When using an improvised tourniquet, ensure that the material used is strong enough to withstand the pressure needed to stop the bleeding and that it can be secured tightly. Follow the same guidelines for placement and tightening as for a standard tourniquet.

The appropriate and timely use of a tourniquet can save lives in critical situations. Always prioritize seeking professional medical assistance promptly and follow the guidelines to ensure safety and effectiveness. Follow the ANZCOR guidelines of DRSABCD if the casualty becomes unconscious and not breathing.

Teach your children to call for help!

27 March 2025/in Blog

Have you taught your children to call the ambulance? Do they know the number? Do they know not to hang up? Do they know the ambulance operator is not a scary person and will help them in an emergency?

Four easy words to teach your children to help them to remember how to call for help are:

CALL – call the emergency number in your country (000 or 112 on a mobile phone in Australia)

SAY – that you need an ambulance, police or fire brigade

WAIT – until the operator puts you through to the correct emergency service and DO NOT HANG UP

STAY – stay on the phone and answer the operator’s questions as best as you can. They will always help to keep you calm and tell you what to do if there is an emergency at home.

There are other important steps to teach your children in an emergency:

Practice an emergency plan if there is a fire or danger in the home. Do they know the best way to get out of the house?
Can they reach the door to open it up for the ambulance to enter the home?
Can your children remove any pets safely into another part of the house so the ambulance can enter the home safely?
Do your children know where the first aid kit is in the house and how to use the items in the first aid kit?
Have you taught your children the recovery position in case a parent, grandparent or other relative falls unconscious in the home.
Teach your children some basic first aid skills so they may able to save a life one day.

Finlay the First Aid Bear has a great catchy song to sing a long to “Call, Say, Wait, Stay” available to download on Spotify and most streaming platforms.

What is the Recovery Position?

18 March 2025/in Blog

The recovery position is an important position to place an unconscious breathing casualty. If the unconscious breathing casualty remains on their back for too long then there is a risk of choking on their bodily fluids and the tongue relaxing and blocking their airway. The staff at the Ipswich Jets Football League Club have recently practiced this important skill on each other, as they have a very large clientele that come and visit the club every day. The most important part of this position is ensuring that the head is tilted back and the mouth facing downwards to allow for the drainage of any fluids from the mouth and nose.

It is recommended to learn this important skill in a First Aid or CPR course, and be prepared for anyone unconscious and breathing at home, at work or in a public place. It could save a life! A first aid course will provide you with more information about this skill. Teach your children this important skill too, so that they can save your life if needed.

FAST – what does this acronym mean?

24 February 2025/in Blog

First Aid Acronyms.

Do you know how to determine if a family member, friend or work colleague could be having a life-threatening Stroke?

A Stroke is caused by either a blood clot or ruptured blood vessel in the brain and is one of Australia’s biggest causes of death. The Australian Stroke Foundation states that stroke kills more women than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer.

Some Facts from the Australian Stroke Foundation:

Strokes can happen at any age.
80% of Strokes can be prevented
In 2023, 1 in 4 Strokes occurred in people below 65 years of age
When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute
Without action by 2050, it is predicted the number strokes experienced by Australians annually will increase to 72,000.

The FAST test is an easy way to recognise and remember the signs of stroke.

Using the FAST test involves asking these simple questions: (The below information has been adapted from the Australian Stroke Foundation)

Face – Check their face. Has their mouth drooped? Can they smile evenly? Has one side of face dropped? Do they all of a sudden feel numbness or tingling on one side of the face?
Arms – Can they lift both arms? Or get them to squeeze both your hands.
Speech – Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time – Time is critical and Act FAST! If you see any of these signs, call 000 or 112 (mobile phones) straight away.

Choking – Hit the person on the back or not?

17 February 2025/in Blog

You are out to dinner with some friends having a great time, chatting away, laughing and all of sudden one of your friends is choking on their food! They are coughing, still breathing but panicking! You give your friend a really hard hit on the back thinking that will help them but…….Oh No! They can now no longer cough or breathe!

Hitting a person hard on the back while they are trying to cough, can still breathe and talk can actually make it worse if they are choking. The force of the hit can cause the blockage to go further down their airway and completely block it if it is only partially blocked. Something that a lot of people don’t realise and think it is the right action to do.

There are two types of Choking (Airway Obstruction):

Partial Airway Obstruction: A partial obstruction is when a foreign object (most likely food) has partially cut off the airway. Signs include: coughing, difficulty in breathing or noisy breathing, talking (crying in babies).
1. First Aid for a Partial Obstruction is: Encourage the person to cough out the obstruction whilst leaning forward. If the cough becomes ineffective or the person is experiencing worsening breathing difficulty, then call the ambulance.
Full Airway Obstruction: A full airway obstruction is when the foreign object has completely cut off the airway. Signs include: unable to cough, breathe or talk, turning blue in the lips, panicking.
1. First Aid for a Full Obstruction is: Lean the casualty forward and administer 5 back slaps between the shoulder blades then administer 5 chest thrusts (pushing on their chest). Alternate these actions while the person is still conscious or able to cough the object out. Call the ambulance as soon as possible, and be prepared to follow the steps of DRSABCD when the person becomes unconscious.

Come and learn more about choking for adults, children and infants at our first aid courses and practice these actions so that you are well prepared for this type of emergency. Book yourself in now!Choking Infants Choking Child

Have a laugh! Bloopers making videos!

14 February 2025/in Blog

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