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Bleeding: how to stop it before the crew arrives

Almost any external bleeding stops with direct pressure — a hand through a cloth, firmly, without letting go for ten minutes. A tourniquet is rarely needed and only for pulsating blood from a limb. What is more dangerous is what you cannot see: pallor, cold sweat and weakness after a blow to the abdomen mean internal bleeding.

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What to do right now

Press on the wound
Any clean cloth, pressed hard and held for ten minutes without lifting to check. If it soaks through, add another layer on top.
Raise the limb
Above the level of the heart, with the person lying down.
Tourniquet only for spurting blood
Pulsating bright blood from an arm or leg that pressure does not control: a tourniquet or twist above the wound, over fabric, with the time written down, for no more than an hour.
Nosebleed
Sit, head forward, pinch the soft part of the nose for 10 minutes, cold on the bridge. Never tilt the head back.
Signs of internal bleeding
Pallor, cold sweat, rapid weak pulse, thirst, increasing weakness after injury, abdominal pain, black stools, coffee-ground vomit — call immediately.

Call an ambulance if

Blood spurting or not stopping after 10 minutes of pressure
A deep or gaping wound, or a wound to the face, neck, abdomen or chest
A nosebleed lasting more than 20 minutes, or in someone on blood thinners
Vomiting blood, black stools, blood in the urine
Pallor, sweating, weakness or fainting after a blow or fall
Bleeding in pregnancy

What not to do

Do not remove a soaked dressing — add on top
Do not apply a tourniquet "just in case" for minor bleeding
Do not tilt the head back during a nosebleed
Do not give drinks if internal bleeding is suspected

What the crew does

Haemostasis: pressure dressing, tourniquet, packing, clamping
Assessment of blood loss, blood pressure, pulse, intravenous fluids
Pain relief and immobilisation for fractures
Admission to surgery or trauma; internal bleeding is an emergency

This page is for information and does not replace a medical examination. If the condition worsens, call the crew: +7 (985) 887-82-52.

This page in Russian: Russian version.

Questions

The wound is small but keeps bleeding — does it need stitches?

If the edges gape by more than 5–7 mm, the wound is on the face or over a joint, or it is deeper than the skin, stitches are needed within 6–8 hours. The crew will clean it and tell you whether a trauma unit is required.

How much does a call-out for an injury cost in Moscow?

Call-out 6,000 ₽ inside the MKAD, wound care charged per centimetre and dressing by the price list; transport by tariff if admission is needed.

I take rivaroxaban and cut myself — is that dangerous?

On anticoagulants bleeding lasts longer and is heavier. Press for 15–20 minutes rather than 10; if it does not stop, call. After a blow to the head or abdomen on anticoagulants, assessment is needed even without visible blood.