how do you treat a person in a pool of blood?

[Run with scissors]

say, there is a patient. and there is a pool of blood around the body. how do you go about treating the patient. while minimizing exposure to the blood?

 

[NomadicMedic]

Move them? Don't kneel in the blood?

It's not they're usually in a kiddie pool full of blood. It's not like the movies.

 

[Run with scissors]

Well what sparked this question is, I found my grandpa laying in a pool of blood after falling and smashing his skull against a cabinet. And he bled to death on the bath room floor. And it was an actual pool of blood. A lot of it. At my old job we put down a kitty litter disinfectant. That soaked up the blood.

 

[SeeNoMore]

I'm sorry for your loss. You do the best you can with heavy bleeding. Gown gloves moving them from the "pool". Chucks are good if you have them. Just common sense stuff really.

 

[chaz90]

Sorry for your loss. What's the question here? Are you asking how you provide actual medical treatment to a patient suffering from a severe hemorrhage or how you avoid contact with the blood itself? In reality, providing treatment to a patient like this is going to get your uniform and gloves a bit dirty.

Honestly, I don't worry too much about exposure to "pools of blood." Intact skin is a very effective barrier. Wear gloves, do what needs to be done to get the patient out, and wash off any exposed/contaminated areas afterwards. Uniforms can be washed.

 

[Underoath87]

In my limited experience with major traumas (one guy basically exsanguinated in the middle of the road and in the back of my ambulance), everybody just tries to squat down and not get too much blood on their clothes. The main thing to remember is your eye protection (and gloves, of course).

 

[Jim37F]

We had a little old lady trip and fall on the sidewalk the other day.....tiny little lack on her forehead (like less than 1/4 inch) but a good little pool of blood (I'd guesstimate a liter bags worth)....it was still bleeding but she was sitting upright, awake, alert, orientated, so we took an extra moment to put down a towel on top of the pool before taking care of her....but we also keep a towel on the gurney so one is typically close at hand....but for a major trauma without a handy towel, yeah, do your best to watch your step and hope you have a backup clean uniform available after you clear the trauma center

 

[NomadicMedic]

The only time I've ever seen a true "pool of blood" was a head GSW. And that was because the guy landed in a small depression in his backyard, where the blood pooled. More often than not, the blood just flows to the lowest point and it looks as though there is a lot more than there really is. Don't believe me? Dump 250ml on the floor and see how big of a mess it makes.

 

[OnceAnEMT]

The only time I've ever seen a true "pool of blood" was a head GSW. And that was because the guy landed in a small depression in his backyard, where the blood pooled. More often than not, the blood just flows to the lowest point and it looks as though there is a lot more than there really is. Don't believe me? Dump 250ml on the floor and see how big of a mess it makes.

I remember seeing this little gem from a while back.

Estimating Blood Loss

 

[DrParasite]

you know how hard it is to estimate blood loss? according to this study, EMS crews don't do it well: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11371851
And ER physicians don't do it well either: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3421978/

But this study did show a semi reliable way to do it (and it was authored by an EMS physician): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19931755

to the OP, sorry for your loss, but I'm guessing it would be considered a crime scene and EMS wouldn't do much. If your patient is still alive, you can always drag him out of the pool of blood, and then dose your boots in alcohol to kill any germs.

 

[escapedcaliFF]

Depends. I've been on some pretty complex vehicle extracations. On those having to stabilize there's no way to do it with out getting blood on you. On those I normally just throw a blanket over the patient and check on them seeing if vitals have changed. I've been on very long extractions where all I can do is check for a pulse from a extremity cause they decided wearing a seat belt is not necessary and being wedged up under the pedals is a nice coffin. On ones where patient access is not an issue I might throw down a surgical blood blanket I steel out of the ED all the time or just kneel.

 

[DesertMedic66]

Send in my EMT. My goal as a medic is to end the shift with a clean uniform... kidding.

Move the patient out of the blood if possible. If not then that's why my boots are waterproof.

 

[STXmedic]

Send in my EMT. My goal as a medic is to end the shift with a clean uniform...

You have learned quickly, young one...

 

[Run with scissors]

very interesting stories lol. taking notes on the waterproof boots.

 

[Ewok Jerky]

While I subscribe to the fact that we generally overestimate the amount of blood loss, if your patient is in a "pool" of blood and showing SxS of shock, this is one of the rare occasions where quick action by EMS crews, or first responders, can actually make a difference in the course of a persons life events. I'm not going to hesitate to get in there and control bleeding. I'm going to have to decon anyways what's the point in trying to stay clean?

The worst I had was a gentleman who appeared to suffer from a femoral bypass graft dehiscence while taking a shower at home after being discharged 2 days post op. We managed him in scene and transport about a mike to the LZ. We deconned for an hour and then had to head back to the station for change of uniforms.

 

[RefriedEMT]

You could heed all of the very good suggestions on here as well as get a pair of boots that have a blood and body fluid liner.

 

[Handsome Robb]

I had a gentleman who cut both of his brachial arteries in a suicide attempt on the floor in the bathroom of a hotel so there was the little lip between the bathroom and the room so it kept all the blood contained.

There was a LOT of blood, looking back I probably shouldn't have worked him but we did. We grabbed him by the wrists and dragged him out of the bathroom and into the hotel room.

They had to replace the carpet in the room but somehow I managed to not get blood anywhere on me except for my boots and gloves.

 

[Carlos Danger]

I had a gentleman who cut both of his brachial arteries in a suicide attempt on the floor in the bathroom of a hotel so there was the little lip between the bathroom and the room so it kept all the blood contained.

There was a LOT of blood, looking back I probably shouldn't have worked him but we did. We grabbed him by the wrists and dragged him out of the bathroom and into the hotel room.

They had to replace the carpet in the room but somehow I managed to not get blood anywhere on me except for my boots and gloves.

Yeah, I've worked some really bloody ones too, and rarely get more than a little on me that I'm able to clean off with some peroxide and towels.