How to distinguish a venous hemorrhage from an arterial one?

First of all, it should be known that an arterial hemorrhage is generally more dangerous than a venous hemorrhage.

Why?

Because the blood that comes out of it does so more quickly from an arterial hemorrhage than from a venous one.

This is due to the fact that the blood of an artery leaves the heart, with each beat, with a higher pressure than that of a vein, which brings blood back to the heart.

Therefore, to know if a haemorrhage is arterial, it suffices to see the blood coming out of a wound in small jets, with each beat of the heart. If the blood is flowing in a sheet, you can consider it to be venous.

Treatment

In each case, the wound should be compressed, ideally with a sterile dressing, if not as quickly as possible. This will promote clotting and stop the bleeding. Then, the limb is raised above the heart, to reduce the pressure of the blood coming out. Eventually, resting the victim will help ensure that they do not lose consciousness, either through fear of blood or lower blood pressure.

Steve Marcoux, MBA

emergency care instructor