Right hand cut off by a chain saw. What is your most important treatment for this patient?

Right hand cut off by a chain saw. What is your most important treatment for this patient?

• A. Elevate and immobilize
• B. Apply cold pack
• C. Control the bleeding
• D. Reattach at hospital

Answer: (C)

Stopping life-threatening bleeding is the first priority in a traumatic limb injury. A hand that's been severed can bleed heavily and quickly lead to shock or death, so the most important action is to control the bleeding right away. This means applying firm direct pressure with clean dressings to the wound, and if needed, advancing to a tourniquet placed high on the limb if direct pressure cannot stop the bleed. Elevation or cold packs can help later, but they do not address the hemorrhage as effectively as direct pressure (and a tourniquet when necessary). Reattaching the hand at hospital is not something you can accomplish at the scene; the priority is to stop the bleeding and get the patient to definitive care while preserving the amputated part for possible surgical reattachment. If the part is available, wrap it in sterile dressing, place it in a sealed plastic bag, and keep it cool with a bag of ice.

Stopping life-threatening bleeding is the first priority in a traumatic limb injury. A hand that's been severed can bleed heavily and quickly lead to shock or death, so the most important action is to control the bleeding right away. This means applying firm direct pressure with clean dressings to the wound, and if needed, advancing to a tourniquet placed high on the limb if direct pressure cannot stop the bleed. Elevation or cold packs can help later, but they do not address the hemorrhage as effectively as direct pressure (and a tourniquet when necessary). Reattaching the hand at hospital is not something you can accomplish at the scene; the priority is to stop the bleeding and get the patient to definitive care while preserving the amputated part for possible surgical reattachment. If the part is available, wrap it in sterile dressing, place it in a sealed plastic bag, and keep it cool with a bag of ice.