Bleeding, Wounds, and Shock Flashcards

Dark red blood flowing steadily from a wound most likely indicates which type of bleeding?

Answer: Venous

Venous blood is dark red and flows steadily because it is under lower pressure than arterial blood.

You are treating a victim with an impaled object in their thigh. What is the correct first aid action?

Answer: Stabilize the object in place and control bleeding around it

Never remove an impaled object; stabilize it in place with bulky dressings to prevent further injury and control surrounding bleeding.

Which action should you avoid when managing a nosebleed (epistaxis)?

Answer: Tilting the head backward

Tilting the head back causes blood to flow down the throat, which can lead to nausea, vomiting, or airway obstruction.

A victim has signs of internal abdominal bleeding after a car accident. Which external sign might indicate this?

Answer: Rigid or distended abdomen with tenderness

A rigid, distended, and tender abdomen can indicate internal bleeding or organ damage in the abdominal cavity.

When using a pressure dressing, the first bandage becomes blood-soaked. What should you do?

Answer: Add more dressings on top and apply additional pressure

Adding more dressings on top preserves any clot that has begun to form; removing the original dressing disrupts the clotting process.

Which of the following is a late sign of shock indicating the victim's condition is critical?

Answer: Unresponsiveness and absence of radial pulse

Unresponsiveness and loss of radial pulse are late, life-threatening signs of decompensated shock requiring immediate emergency intervention.

Hemostatic gauze (such as QuikClot) is most appropriate for wounds that:

Answer: Have severe, life-threatening bleeding not controlled by standard pressure

Hemostatic gauze is used for severe, life-threatening wounds — particularly junctional wounds where a tourniquet cannot be applied — when standard pressure fails.