So far, I have dealt with minor bleeding in patients after venepuncture, or angiograms. But, today, patient X, fell onto the floor after having a seizure. Patient X cracked the back of X's head, and subsequently, bled from the wound.
When I arrived at the scene, patient X was already lying in a puddle of blood....One of my colleagues applied pressure on the wound with his bare hands as he wanted to stop the bleeding quickly. I offered to take over from him, as I had gloves on.
I used some gauze to help seal the wound. However, blood kept pouring out of the wound...I could actually feel the warmth of the blood through my fingers. The nurses kindly got me a surgical pad, which I applied with good force on the scalp. I had to place the entire surface of both of my hands on his scalp, and also at the same time, trying to stabilise his head, as he was very agitated. It was quite a difficult task I must say! Finally, after about 10mins or so, the bleeding stopped.....thankfully!
After that, my arms ached. The muscles in my forearms were twitching. The shaking was definitely not due to nervousness. I have no problems looking at blood. I think it was probably due to the way was trying to put pressure on the wound, and also, the amount of persistent pressure I had to apply to patient X's scalp. Imagine having your fingers spread out on a person's scalp to hold and stabilise it as well. I have to admit I have pretty small hands, which made it a bit more difficult.
It was quite an experience for me, as so far, I have never been involved in any moderate-major trauma. I would never ever forget the sight of pouring blood and that warm sensation of blood when is just seeps through my fingers.
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