You've just held firm direct pressure on a bleed and applied a tourniquet. The person is now pale, and their pulse is weak. The bleeding has stopped, but what do you do now? In this article, we'll talk about what you should do after you've stopped a bleed and how to treat shock.

After you've stopped a bleed, the work has just begun. Yes, you've kept them alive–for now. To treat for shock and keep them alive, you'll need to battle the triad of death: hypothermia, acidosis, and coagulopathy. Don't know what any of that is or how to treat it? You're in the right place.

Below, we'll review the steps to stopping a bleed, but then we'll talk about what you need to do after you've stopped that bleed.

What to Do After Stopping a Bleed (How to Treat for Shock)

We'll start by discussing the various steps to caring for a person after you've stopped a bleed. If you haven't already, take some time to read this article on how to stop a bleed. Also, if you've never used a tourniquet, you should have a look at this video on tourniquets. We want to make sure you have the basics down before we move on to more advanced ideas.

Many people don't understand that to help someone who's been seriously injured, you have to continue providing care until they are fully recovered. We can't just slap a tourniquet on someone's leg and call it a day. In the next few sections, you'll learn about the steps involved in helping someone after the bleeding has stopped.

Note: These principles can also be used for people who have different types of injuries, such as internal bleeding.

Here are several steps you'll need to take:

• Make Sure the Bleeding Has Truly Stopped
• Check For Other Injuries (Make Sure You're Not Missing Anything)
• Be Sure to Call 911!
• Keep the Person Warm (Recognize Shock and Treat It)
• Get The Person to Help Quickly
• Bonus: Lay Them Flat and Treat the Airway

Okay, those are some of the steps, now let's talk about all the details.

Alert: Keep in mind that none of this should be taken as medical advice. If you're experiencing a true emergency, call 911 and seek professional medical care from a licensed physician. This article is for information purposes only, and please realize that the medical field is constantly being updated when new research becomes available.

Make Sure the Bleeding Has Truly Stopped

The first step after stopping a bleed is to ensure that the bleeding has truly stopped. This is probably the most critical error made during emergencies involving a bad bleed. Some injuries that required a tourniquet may be hidden under a pressure bandage - this is a mistake. You must ensure that the bleeding has stopped.

Don't be afraid to apply a tourniquet if it looks like direct pressure hasn't been enough to stop the blood flow. Also, be sure that you hold very firm direct pressure for long enough. Most of the time, you should be holding direct pressure for about ten minutes at least (and if you know the bleeding hasn't stopped, you should continue after that).

Many people don't hold direct pressure firm enough or long enough, and this results in unnecessary complications for people suffering from a dangerous bleed.

Okay, now that you have truly stopped the bleeding, let's look at the next step.

Check For Other Injuries (Make Sure You're Not Missing Anything)

The next step once you've stopped a bleed is to make sure you're not missing any other injuries. This sort of goes along with the last point, but in a different way. For example, if someone has a gunshot to the upper thigh, you'd want to make sure you've checked for an exit wound.

The same thing could be said for someone who has been stabbed - were they stabbed multiple times? Also, if someone is wearing a lot of heavy clothing, you may need to get a direct visualization to ensure there isn't any hidden injuries. Finally, make sure you keep an eye on their airway and breathing. If they need help breathing, be ready to assist with their ventilations.

Okay, on to the next point!

Be Sure to Call 911 After a Serious Bleed

Many people wait too long to call the ambulance or seek medical care. This is especially true for someone who may have internal bleeding - at first, they haven't lost a lot of blood, so they think they're okay. But then the symptoms get worse, and they seek medical care. And by that time, it could be too late.

Also, in many rural areas (and even in the cities) it will take an ambulance longer to get to you than you think. In very rural states, this could be an hour or more! So ensure that you call 911 and have them coming sooner rather than later. You can always call them and disregard them if you realize it was a false alarm, but you can't make them come faster if it's something serious.

Now that we have the bleeding stopped, extra injuries found, and help on the way, let's talk about how to treat for shock.

Keep the Person Warm (Recognize Shock and Treat It)

Shock in the medical sense does not mean shock like we usually talk about. When someone hears bad news, we'll often say that they're in "shock." However, shock in a medical sense means that the body is unable to perfuse (get enough oxygen and blood) to the organs. When this shock happens (often called hypoperfusion), people begin to slowly die.

It's important that we treat for shock and fight the triad of death. How do we do that? You may remember that the triad of death is: hypothermia, acidosis, and coagulopathy. Let's go over them so you know how to help a person.

How to help someone in shock:

• Treat hypothermia: This means you should keep them warm. Be sure to cover them with a blanket, get them out of a cold environment, and ensure they don't become too cold. When people become too cold, it leads to coagulopathy (the blood can't clot).
• Coagulopathy: This term means that the blood has trouble clotting. The first thing to do is ensure that you stop as much bleeding as possible. Every red blood cell has a name! And every red blood cell matters! Also, keeping the patient warm will help reduce this issue.
• Acidosis: When the body doesn't have enough oxygen, something called acidosis develops. To correct this, try your best to keep the person's airway open and to ensure they are breathing adequately. Also, you can give them supplemental oxygen if you have it. Make sure the patient rests comfortably and it's usually a good idea to lay them flat.

So that's how you treat shock. Did all that make sense? Keep them warm, stop the bleeding, and keep them breathing.

Okay, on we go!

Get The Person to Help Quickly

The next step is to get the person to help. Fast! Many people who have lost a lot of blood will need advanced care at a hospital or trauma center. Some of these patients may be airlifted via helicopter. What can the hospital do for them?

The hospital may give them a blood transfusion (literally putting blood back into their body - this is why donating blood if you can is so important!). The hospital may also perform surgery on the patient to correct any internal injuries.

To transport people who are seriously injured, it's usually a good idea to call the ambulance. If you're alone and you become injured, be sure that you call for help quickly - you may pass out and be unable to call for help at that point.

Bonus: Lay Them Flat and Treat the Airway

As a bonus, be sure that you know how to keep a person breathing. When someone is in severe shock, they often don't even have the energy to breathe. If you know how to provide rescue breaths, you will be directly helping that patient stay alive.

Also, it's usually a good idea to lay them flat, as this may help them keep blood on the core of their body. There's a reason people usually pass out while standing - it's the body's way of saying lay down!

Conclusion: After You Stop a Bleed - Try to Make Sure It Doesn't Happen Again

I'd like to share a common saying on the ambulance: there are no accidents. Most of the time, when we think of an injury, we don't take the time to realize that in almost every case, there was some way to prevent the accident.

For example, let's say a tire pops on the expressway. An accident, right? Well, maybe not. Perhaps the owner of the vehicle could have done a better job of servicing their tires, or perhaps the person who threw a glass bottle in the road should grow up and stop littering.

Whenever you're doing something high-risk, try to remember safety first. Sure, safety isn't always cool, but then again, neither is bleeding out.

Be sure to check out our article on first aid supplies for children.