Bleeding part 2

Serious bleeding falls into two categories: arterial bleeding and venous bleeding. Arterial bleeding involves an injury to a vessel leading from the heart. Arteries carry oxygen blood, characterized by being bright red. You may also tell arterial bleeding by a spurting wound. Venous bleeding involves injury to a vessel leading from the body tissues. Veins carry deoxygenated blood, characterized by being a dark red. Venous wounds tend to bleed steadily. In a severe wound, you can have both arterial and venous bleeding at once.

Note that wounds underwater may not bleed red at all. In water shallower than approximately 10 metres/30 feet’s, blood looks brownish; deeper than that, it looks green. A greenish cloud coming from your buddy's hand, for example, more than likely mean he just cut it severely.

Bleeding part 1

In diving, bleeding can indicate minor or serious injuries. You won't have trouble determining the seriousness of bleeding from open wounds, but in other cases, bleeding may indicate a less obvious injury. For example, bleeding from the mouth, nose or ears may indicate a pressure injury; ear bleeding may indicate a severe blow to the head, or a ruptured ear drum. In these cases, you need to evaluate the patient's situation based on other signs and symptoms.

The average human body has approximately 5.5 to 7 liters/5 to 6 quarts of blood, which the body uses to carry oxygen. Excessive blood loss diminishes the oxygen supply reaching the tissues. Although the body can compensate for some blood loss by accelerating the heart, which cycles the remaining blood faster, losing as little as 1.5 to 2.5 liters/1.5 to 2 quarts can be fatal. Therefore, controlling severe bleeding has a high priority in sustaining a patient's life.

Don't Underestimate Their Power

Stings from marine animals vary from annoying to life threatening. Cone Shells, sea wasps, Portugese man-o-war, sea snake, and other venomous creatures have killed swimmers and divers. Whether a sting can be lethal depends on the organism, the severity of the wound, and the victim's individual reaction.

As a Rescue Diver, this means:

1. Wear appropriate exposure suits and other protection.
2. Watch where you put your hands, feet, and watch where you swim.
3. If you don't recognize something, don't touch it, no mather how harmless it looks.
4. Heed posted warnings.