Basic First Aid for the Panicky

There are many people who absolutely hate the sight of blood. They’re the ones who surf right past the medical shows on tv, who can’t put a bandaid on a child’s finger, who run in panicked circles when someone gets hurt.

This may be you and that may be too bad. In an emergency, you may be needed to help someone when no one else is around. By preparing yourself for this eventuality, training yourself on how to address an issue and practising, anyone can become a life saving hero.

These are simple things you should know.

1. Make sure the scene is safe. You don’t want to become a victim. 
2. Put on gloves. Blood carries nasty stuff you don’t want to catch. 
3. Grab the tools. In this case, the tools are bandages, sterile gauze, surgical tape. 
4. Stop the flow of blood. Take the gauze, put it on the wound and press until the blood stops. 
5. If the blood doesn’t stop, push harder. If the blood still doesn’t stop, push on the area above (in the case of an arm or leg) where the blood is coming from. Hopefully this will cut off the flow of blood from the artery above the area where the blood is coming from. 
6. If you have to, as a last resort, make a tourniquet. Make it from rope, from a piece of a shirt, from a BP cuff - whatever is available.
7. Get that person to a hospital quick. Losing too much blood too fast can result in death. 
8. Pat yourself on the back.