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Carola Felchner is a freelance writer in the medical department and a certified training and nutrition advisor. She worked for various specialist magazines and online portals before becoming a freelance journalist in 2015. Before starting her internship, she studied translation and interpreting in Kempten and Munich.

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A pressure bandage is applied as a first aid measure for heavily bleeding wounds. Its purpose is to prevent the patient from losing a dangerous amount of blood. An elastic pressure bandage can also be useful if the bruise is severe. Read here how to put on a pressure bandage and what you should pay attention to!

Brief overview

What is a pressure bandage? A first aid measure for heavily bleeding wounds.
Applying a pressure bandage: lift or elevate the injured part of the body, put on and fix the wound pad, put on and fasten pressure pads.
In what cases? For heavily bleeding wounds, e.g. B. cuts, stab wounds, bruises.
Risks: constriction of blood and / or nerve tracts.

Caution!

As a rule, you can and should only apply a pressure bandage to the extremities (arms, legs).
With the pressure bandage on, check the areas around it to make sure the blood supply and nerves are not pinched.
Watch the bandage to see if it has blood. If so, you will need to apply a second pressure bandage over it.
Call the ambulance! Heavily bleeding wounds require medical treatment.

What is a pressure bandage?

If a wound is bleeding heavily or spurting, it is important to stop the loss of blood as quickly as possible. To do this, you should apply a pressure bandage. It is best to use a sterile wound pad, a bandage pack as a "pressure medium" and either a gauze bandage or a triangular cloth to secure it.

When properly applied, the pressure bandage can not only prevent excessive blood loss, but also protect against infection. In the case of heavily bleeding wounds, the layers of the skin and usually also the underlying tissue are (severely) damaged. Germs can easily enter the body through this open wound.

How does a pressure bandage work?

Before applying a pressure bandage to an injured person, you should put on thin protective gloves (e.g. made of latex, vinyl, etc.). This has a double purpose: On the one hand, it reduces the risk that you inadvertently transfer germs from your hands into the wound. On the other hand, you protect yourself against direct and potentially dangerous blood contact with disposable gloves (if the injured person has an infectious disease such as hepatitis C and you have a small open wound on your hands).

Disposable gloves and everything else you need for a pressure bandage can be found in the first aid kit. You should have such a box ready to hand at home. There MUST be a small first aid kit in the car.

Apply pressure bandage: this is how it works!

Explain: Talk to the injured person and explain each step you take in applying the pressure bandage. Those who bleed heavily are usually frightened and upset. Knowing what you are doing as a first responder and perhaps being a little distracted by listening can help reassure the injured person.
Elevation: Elevate the part of the body with the heavily bleeding wound (arm, leg). This reduces the blood supply to the wound area. Alternatively, ask the injured person (if available) or a bystander to hold the injured limb up.
Squeezing larger blood vessels: You can also try to squeeze larger blood-supplying vessels into the wound area. The right point on the arm for this is the artery between the biceps and triceps (upper arm muscles). On the leg, press into the groin of the injured person (in the middle) before applying the pressure bandage.
Attaching the wound dressing: First, place a sterile wound dressing on the wound and cover it completely with it.
Attaching the wound pad: Secure the wound pad by wrapping a gauze or elastic bandage around a few times with a little tension (but not the whole bandage). The bandage should be tight, but not too tight.
Place pressure pad: Now place a pressure pad over the wound on the wrapped wound pad. An unopened first-aid pack, for example a bandage that is still wrapped, is suitable for this. If you don't have one at hand, a packet of handkerchiefs or the like can also be used.
Fix pressure pad: Hold the pressure pad with one hand and wrap the remaining bandage around the injured part of the body with the other. Again, watch out for a certain pull. Pin the end of the bandage so it doesn't come off.
Possibly a second pressure bandage: If the bandage bleeds through, you can put a second one on it to increase the pressure. To do this, wrap another bandage around the injured part of the body, place another pressure pad on the first and fix it.
Continue to sit up: Make sure that the injured part of the body is positioned higher up, preferably above the level of the heart. Gravity then reduces the flow of blood to the wound area.
Alert the emergency doctor: If the emergency doctor has not yet been alerted, you should do so now at the latest! A severely bleeding wound can be life-threatening. She must therefore be treated immediately by a doctor.

Alternative with the triangular scarf

Instead of a bandage, you can also use a triangular cloth to apply a pressure bandage:

To do this, fold the cloth into a "tie" and place it in the middle of the wound covered with a sterile pad.
Now the two ends of the “tie” are looped around the injured extremity, crossed at the back and then brought forward again.
Next, place the pressure pad over the wound and fix it by knotting the ends of the "tie" over it (double knot).

In the case of a heavily bleeding wound on the finger or fingertip, a fingertip bandage is often sufficient. Cut a wedge out of a large plaster in the middle on both sides. First stick one half over the uninjured finger side and then fold the other half over the fingertip. Turn over the adhesive surfaces.

When do I make a pressure bandage?

A pressure bandage is applied as first aid, especially in the case of heavily bleeding wounds on the arms or legs (e.g. stab wounds, cuts, lacerations). Sometimes a pressure bandage is needed on the head. However, it is more difficult to attach. If the pressure pad cannot be secured with a bandage, or only insufficiently, you or the injured person must press and hold the pressure pad with their hands to stop the bleeding.

An elastic pressure bandage can also be useful in the event of a bruise. It is not an open wound, but a closed, blunt injury that one sustains through a shock, blow or impact (for example during sports). The blood from injured vessels seeps into the tissue here instead of flowing out to the outside. This can lead to a painful bruise and swelling. Then the PECH rule helps: Take a break, put on an ice pack, put on a compression bandage and elevate the injured region. The pressure bandage generates counter pressure from the outside. This will limit the bruising and swelling.

Risks of a pressure association

As a first aid provider, you should not over tighten a pressure bandage. Otherwise the blood supply could be completely interrupted. In addition, excessive pressure can damage nerve tracts. Therefore, always check the areas around the pressure bandage: If, for example, the pressure bandage causes the fingers or toes to be discolored (in the case of a pressure bandage on the arm or leg) or if they feel very cold, the bandage is probably too tight. Then loosen it up a little.

Do not put a pressure bandage on the neck! It could cut off blood flow to the brain or cut off breathing.

In the case of stab wounds, the pointed object is sometimes still stuck in the wound. This makes it difficult to apply the pressure bandage. But do not pull it out under any circumstances! That would increase the bleeding. Instead, build the pressure pad around the stuck item and do not wrap the bandage over it.

Despite these warnings, you shouldn't be afraid to apply a pressure bandage. The risk of doing something wrong is lower than the health risk posed by heavy blood loss if you do nothing: A blood loss of more than one and a half liters can be life-threatening for an adult; in children, less blood loss is sufficient. So don't be afraid of a pressure bandage in an emergency!

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