Bleeding occurring with deep and large cuts may cause concerns, especially if it hardly stops. Deep, larger cuts do not only cause concerns because of this bleeding, but also the appearance of the cut itself. Although observing the wound is essential to see how much it damages the inner tissues beneath the skin, stopping the bleeding is not less important.
Bleeding on deep cuts
Deeper or larger cuts may not only affect the surface of the skin, but may also damage the inner tissues and blood vessels. Hence, bleeding with this type of cuts can be more severe, greater in amount, and last longer. However, this longer bleeding period should not trap you to let the bleeding alone without any concerns. While with small cuts or puncture wounds bleeding should stop immediately after you put pressure on the wound site, with larger or deeper cuts, bleeding may last longer and require certain treatments to eventually stop.
Stop bleeding on a deep cut
With minor cuts, you will be able to see the bleeding stops without any specific treatments. Normally, bleeding occurring with minor cuts are going to stop quickly—not more than 5 minutes, as soon as the body starts releasing proteins for blood clotting. With deeper cuts, on the other hands, there might be some differences. As deep cuts commonly damage the blood vessels beneath the skin, the bleeding is going to be more severe. When major blood vessels are affected, the bleeding may not be easy to stop. Moreover, if the internal organs are stroke, the bleeding can be more fatal.
While in minor cuts, there are no required specific treatments for stopping the bleeding, with deep cuts, some actions and treatments should be taken to help get the deep cut to stop bleeding. Here what you can do to help a person or yourself when getting a deep cut:
-
Elevating injured body parts higher than the heart.
If the cut is located on legs, help the person to lie down. Elevate the legs to place it above the heart. This will reduce blood supply to the wound site and thus, reduce bleeding. However, if broken bones are suspected within the wound, do not attempt to elevate the leg.
-
Washing the wound with running water.
Wash the cut thoroughly with water. Afterwards, you will be able to observe its size and whether there is any debris left inside the cut. Remove any tiny debris around the wound site. Tiny debris located on the wound itself will be removed through the body natural cleansing—the bleeding. If the object left in the wound is large, however, such as a piece of glass or any similar objects, do not attempt to remove it from the wound, as it may damage other blood vessels and thus, aggravate the bleeding. Since you cannot remove the object, put the pressure around the object, making sure not to push ii in further. This also works for putting bandage around the wound.
-
Putting pressure onto the wound site.
Firm pressure will constrict blood vessels damaged by the cut. It inhibits continuous bleeding while giving the body a chance to release proteins to promote blood clotting. Use any dressing materials, such as gauze, dressing, or clothing to put firm pressure over the cut. If the edges of the cut wound are gaped, it is important to cover it with gauze before putting a pressure over it. Gently press the wound site for several minutes until the bleeding stops or decreases.
- Applying steady pressure.
- If the cut is on a limb, tie a cloth or other dressing material over the wound to maintain pressure. Elevating the wound can be helpful to inhibit blood supply to the wound site that is essential for inhibiting bleeding.
- If the cut is on other body parts you cannot wrap over, put a thick gauze of pad and put pressure on it while seeking for medical helps.
- If you suspect some leakage from the cut, place another bandage over the old one, making sure you do not over-wrapping the wound, as the pressure may not work.
- Accessing pressure points to help stopping the bleeding.
- If the cut too deep that you cannot stop the bleeding by merely putting the pressure, you can start accessing pressure points all over the body, with blood vessels connected to ones passing through the wound site.
- If the cut is on the lower arms, use your fingers and press the blood vessels on the inside of the arm between the elbow and armpit against the bone. Pressing this brachial artery is essential in inhibiting blood supply to the lower arm.
- If the cut is located around the thighs, find the femoral artery and put the finger pressure on it to help stop the bleeding. This artery is located along the groin near the bikini line.
- If the cut is on the lower leg, you should try finding the popliteal artery, which is located behind the knee.