EMT Basic · Chapter 26 · Review · Chapter track
Bleeding
Referencing the content of EMT-Basic training and emergency patient care
Learning objectives (11)
Describe the characteristics of external bleeding, including the identification of the following types of bleeding: arterial, venous, and capillary — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Describe the general structure of the circulatory system and the function of its parts, including the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Discuss hypovolemic shock as a result of bleeding, including the signs of shock — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Discuss internal bleeding in terms of the different mechanisms of injury (MOIs) and their associated internal bleeding sources — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Explain how to assess a patient with external or internal bleeding, including the physical examination, vital signs, and the use of monitoring devices — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Explain how to conduct a primary assessment, including identification of life threats beyond bleeding, ensuring a patent airway, and making a transport decision — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Explain how to determine the nature of the illness (NOI) for internal bleeding, including identifying possible traumatic and nontraumatic sources — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Explain the emergency medical care of the patient with external bleeding — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Explain the importance of following standard precautions when treating a patient with external bleeding — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Explain the significance of bleeding caused by blunt force trauma, including the importance of perfusion — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Identify the signs and symptoms of internal bleeding — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 933); confirm wording in your course copy.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Chapter web resources
Optional reading from authoritative sites. Your textbook remains the primary source for this course.
- MedlinePlus bleeding · NIH
Hemorrhage control concepts
- Stop the Bleed · ACS / DHS
Public tourniquet and pressure training
When sources disagree (5 topics to verify before you teach from this chapter alone)
Showing Chapter track material. Switch tracks on the chapter page.
Vocabulary · 12
Hemorrhage
The loss of blood from the circulatory system, internally or externally.
SourceMerriam-Webster Medical Dictionary — Hemorrhage
External bleeding
Visible blood loss outside the body — controlled with direct pressure, dressings, and as needed, tourniquets.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed — Bleeding control basics
Internal bleeding
Bleeding into a body cavity or tissue, often without external signs; recognized by mechanism plus signs of shock.
SourceNIH MedlinePlus — Internal bleeding
Arterial bleeding
Bright red blood under high pressure, often pulsatile or spurting; high-risk for rapid blood loss.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed — Types of bleeding
Venous bleeding
Darker red blood with steady, non-pulsatile flow.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed — Types of bleeding
Capillary bleeding
Slow, even oozing of blood — typical of abrasions; usually self-limiting.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed — Types of bleeding
Hemostasis
The body's natural process of stopping bleeding through vasoconstriction, platelet plug, and clot formation.
SourceNIH MedlinePlus — Hemostasis
Direct pressure
Firm, continuous compression applied directly over a bleeding wound — the first and most important bleeding-control step.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed — Direct pressure
Tourniquet
A constricting band applied to a limb proximal to a wound to control life-threatening extremity bleeding when direct pressure fails.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed — Tourniquet use
Hemostatic dressing
Gauze impregnated with a clot-promoting agent (e.g., QuikClot, Combat Gauze) used for severe bleeding, especially junctional sites where tourniquets cannot be applied.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed — Hemostatic dressings
Pressure dressing
A bandage applied with sufficient force to maintain compression over a wound after initial bleeding control.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons Stop the Bleed — Pressure dressing
Class I–IV hemorrhage
ATLS classification of blood loss — Class I (<15%), Class II (15–30%), Class III (30–40%), Class IV (>40%) — used to anticipate shock severity.
SourceAmerican College of Surgeons — ATLS — Hemorrhagic shock classification
Sequences · 2
- Severe extremity bleeding — Stop the Bleed escalation — Order the recommended steps for severe extremity bleeding.
- Hemorrhagic shock — Class I through IV — Order the four ATLS hemorrhage classes from least to most severe.