External haemorrhage is the discharge of blood from within the body through a natural orifice (ear, nose, mouth, urinary tract, anus or vagina).
Causes
External bleeding may be caused by trauma (head injury, chest injury, etc.) but may also have a medical cause.
Risks & Consequences
As a result of haemorrhage, the body’s blood volume decreases.
Initially, the heart rate increases to compensate for this loss and maintain sufficient blood flow and pressure in the blood vessels to ensure that blood is distributed throughout the body.
Secondly, if the bleeding is not stopped, blood pressure plummets, blood flow decreases and circulatory distress sets in. This can lead to ‘pump failure’ and cardiac arrest.
External bleeding poses an immediate or very short-term threat to a victim’s life. Unfortunately, some cases of external bleeding cannot be stopped using standard first-aid techniques.
Signs
Bleeding from the nose or ear canal may be a sign of a skull fracture.
When it enters the body via the mouth, it is most often associated with spitting or vomiting.
In other cases, it involves unusual bleeding from the following tracts:
- urinary symptoms: blood in the urine or urine tinged with blood;
- anal: blood in the stools or isolated bleeding;
- vaginal: abnormally heavy periods or unexpected bleeding.
Whatever the cause, this bleeding may be the first sign of an illness or injury that needs to be treated without delay.
Principle of emergency response
First-aid measures should aim to minimise the effects of the bleeding.