When a wound will not stop bleeding
Direct pressure, held long enough, controls the large majority of bleeding. Most people do not hold it long enough.
The single most effective thing you can do is firm, uninterrupted, direct pressure. It is also the thing most often done badly.
The method
- Place a clean pad or gauze directly over the wound.
- Press firmly with the flat of your fingers or your palm.
- Raise the injured part above heart level if you can.
- Hold for a full ten minutes by the clock. Do not lift to look — each check destroys the clot that was forming.
- If blood soaks through, add another pad on top. Do not remove the first.
Call 999 if
- Bleeding is spurting, or pooling quickly.
- It continues after ten minutes of firm pressure.
- The person is pale, clammy, confused or faint.
- The injury came from a serious mechanism — a fall from height, a vehicle, machinery.
- Something is embedded. Press either side of it, never on it, and do not pull it out.
Blood thinners
Anyone taking anticoagulants will bleed for longer from a minor wound. Allow more time, and have a lower threshold for getting it checked.
See a pharmacist, GP or urgent care if a wound will not stop bleeding after ten minutes of firm pressure, is deep or gaping, was caused by something dirty or rusty, contains anything you cannot flush out, or shows spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus or a fever. Get help urgently for animal or human bites, wounds over a joint, and any wound in someone with diabetes or poor circulation.
Shop the range
FitMedix products are CE-marked medical devices intended for the care of minor wounds. This site does not provide medical advice — seek professional help for deep, dirty or non-healing wounds, or if signs of infection appear. Always read the instructions on the pack.