The couple times I have seen someone apply direct pressure to a wound to stop bleeding, they improvised and used some sort of cloth. A beach towel one time, and I think a blanket the other.

What is the official thing to use? Gauze? I tend to think of gauze as a wound dressing, being absorbent, and maybe a little hard to handle for a big bleeding wound. Are there better options? Or is gauze just the obvious answer?

Thanks!

David

The absolutely best thing would be a sterile gauze pad, but if the bleeding is severe and copious, anything will do. I generally EDC a cotton bandana which could be used for this purpose if the bleeding is really significant. Hopefully you will have a glove or some sort of blood barrier on your hand if you are dealing with a situation like this.

My first EMT instructor, a Navy medic, once rode along to the ER with an accident victim, clamping a major blood vessel in her neck all the way. This was in the days before gloves were in common use.

... and make sure not to remove the "dressing" - leaving that to medical professionals.

Use what you have. Gauze is the official thing - yes it absorbs, but by holding the blood it allows it to start clotting. Blood that flows doesn't clot ...

Combat gauze is the new and greatest in the military. Gauze impregnated with a hemostatic agent.

As to the 'how,' I use my hand and push really hard.

+1 on what they said. My FAK has lots of 4x4 and 5x9 gauze pads. Could one of the more experienced here comment on cleaning the wound.

As I recall, once the major bleeding has stopped, the wound can be cleaned of any foreign material and irrigated with lots of drinkable water -- an irrigation syringe is useful. Then the wound can be covered with a clean dressing. Comments?

I keep a clean hanky and a microfiber towel in my bag. Both will serve in a pinch. no reason to carry gauze at all IMO.

Never done that. The emphasize was on stopping the bleeding,doing a thorough survey, ABC, etc, and stabilizing the victim. The victim was on his/her way to the ER pronto. WE did remove large boulders and tree branches from the wound, however. I can't recall ever irrigating. It would certainly be different if you were a long time from definitive care.

I carry a small FAK in my backpack which includes nitrile gloves, 4x4 & 5x9 gauze, an irrigation syringe and other goodies. The microfiber towel is for me to clean up. That said, a clean T-shirt or towel can be used in a pinch.

I s'pose that's one of the differences between Red Cross first aid and wilderness first aid. The irrigation syringe was high on their list of things to have. I've had a syringe in my FAK but really didn't understand why until the WMI FA course.

I see valid responses all over the board here from different contexts:

almost any absorbent cloth will do for direct pressure when you have EMTs and an ER in the near future. This includes home and auto accidents, SAR extractions etc. In fact in a pinch direct pressure without gauze or bandana will do, although really recommend gloving up first. Cloth can help with comfort for the patient with a bleeding wound you're pressing down on, and I believe it can promote clotting. FWIW I can't imagine not going in without some sort of cloth in my hand, my t-shirt even, and only rethink if the bleeding is excessive in which case I'm focusing on direct pressure or nearby pressure points to control bleeding. TQ is also an option then, though my gut is most bleeds will respond to pressure.

in WFA 24 hrs+ from the trail head and ERs and EMTs, they teach using gauze and direct pressure, and when one pad gets full put another pad on top (don't remove the soaked gauze, as some clotting may have occurred), and keep the pressure on, repeating as necessary. At a certain point there may be a decision to move to or supplement direct pressure with pressure points, or add or replace with a TQ but the most likely outcome is direct pressure reduces the bleeding sufficient to bandage up. You still work through your options in order - direct pressure, pressure points, then TQ if wound is on a limb. If you don't have an EMT or ER in the immediate future, control bleeding, irrigate wound, bandage, and continue wound care until you evacuate to medical assistance.