Severe Bleeding

Control severe external bleeding in a child through escalating interventions: direct pressure, Israeli bandage, wound packing, and tourniquet, with pediatric-specific monitoring for rapid shock onset. Apply when: Severe or uncontrolled external bleeding in a child (approximately 1-12 years) from any cause including trauma, amputation, crush injury, or penetrating injury. Signs include rapid spurting or steady flow of blood, pooling blood, blood-soaked clothing, or a severed or partially severed limb. Children have significantly smaller blood volumes (a 3-year-old has only about 1,200 mL total) so what appears moderate in an adult may be life-threatening in a child.