Question

EMR Xander and his partner have been quickly dispatched to the beach, where a young surfer has sustained a shark bite. When they arrive, Xander can see that the young lady is lying on the sand; she has deep punctures in her left leg that are bleeding profusely. The amount of blood suggests that the shark may have opened one of her arteries. Quickly, Xander’s partner begins to administer high-flow oxygen to the patient as Xander takes a device out of his jump kit. The device has a thick band, which Xander positions around the patient’s thigh a few inches above the shark’s bite. As he tightens the band, he can see that the bleeding is slowing substantially. Xander and his partner try to keep the patient warm so that she does not go into shock as they wait for an ambulance to arrive at the beach. What method has Xander used to get this patient’s bleeding under control?


direct pressure


digital pressure


the application of a tourniquet


pressure dressing

Answer 1

Xander has used **the application of a tourniquet** to get the patient’s bleeding under control. A tourniquet is a device that applies pressure to a limb or extremity to restrict blood flow to a wound, which is particularly important in cases of severe bleeding, as seen in this scenario.