Originally Posted By: Leigh_Ratcliffe
Originally Posted By: chaosmagnet
In the short term if you can stop the bleeding with direct pressure, hopefully you'll be rescued and get to definitive care before any potential infection lays you low. From what I saw, Dave wasn't bleeding very much.



Operative word there is "hope."
A small wound may prove to be as lethal as a major injury under those circumstances.


True. However, I'd rather irrigate than cauterize for infection control. If irrigation isn't a viable option and rescue is likely within a few days, I'd only use cautery if that was the only way to stop the bleeding.