What to do if your head is broken and bleeding

In our daily lives, we are bound to encounter some unexpected situations that may cause head injuries, which may cause minor injuries or even damage to the brain. Because of the importance of the head, once it is broken and bleeding, it must be treated as soon as possible, and the situation must be clarified to see whether it is serious, and then appropriate measures must be taken for treatment. So, what should you do if your head is broken and bleeding? Let’s take a closer look below.

Emergency measures for head trauma

1. Treatment of scalp laceration

Scalp lacerations are mostly caused by sharp objects directly hitting the scalp. Because the scalp is rich in blood vessels, it is not easy to close on its own after rupture, and the bleeding is more severe.

First aid: For smaller and shallower wounds, you can cover them with sterile dressings and apply local pressure to stop the bleeding. However, for scalp lacerations caused by blunt objects, if a skull fracture is suspected, it is not advisable to use pressure bandages. Instead, you can use a towel or cloth strip to make a ring larger than the wound, place it around the wound, and then bandage it to prevent the fracture fragments from sinking into the brain tissue due to pressure and causing greater damage. Skull fractures are treated in the same way as large wounds with severe bleeding, and finger pressure can be used to stop bleeding.

2. Treatment of scalp hematoma

Scalp hematomas are mostly caused by minor blunt force or collision injuries to the scalp. Scalp hematomas generally do not require special treatment. After an injury, there is no need to rub the swollen lump repeatedly, just apply local pressure or cold compress. For larger scalp hematomas, you should go to the hospital for examination and treatment.

3. Treatment of open craniocerebral injury

Victims of open head injuries often show symptoms such as impaired consciousness, dilated pupils, loss of light reflex, respiratory failure, accompanied by headaches, vomiting, and weak pulse. Brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid and blood were flowing out of the wound.

First aid: The victims of open craniocerebral injuries are in critical condition and most are in a coma. It is very important to keep the airway open during first aid to avoid suffocation. Immediately use your fingers wrapped in a handkerchief or towel to remove mucus, vomit, and blood clots from your mouth, and remove your dentures. Untie the injured person's collar, belt and other restraints. In patients who are in a deep coma, the tongue may fall back and block the airway.

The following methods can be used to clear the airway: if it is confirmed that the casualty has no cervical spine injury, the neck can be lifted up and the head tilted back as far as possible to open the airway; or the tongue can be pulled out of the mouth, and a pin or silk thread can be passed through the tip of the tongue and fixed to the button of the shirt to prevent the tongue from falling back; if airway obstruction has occurred, the rescuer should quickly perform cricothyroidotomy with a large injection needle. If you cannot find a needle for the time being, you can use a small knife to make an incision on the cricothyroid membrane, and then implant a ventilation pen tube at both ends into the trachea through the incision to reopen the airway. If the cyanosis of the victim's lips and fingers has not disappeared after the intubation, assisted artificial respiration can be performed by pressing the chest. The compression action needs to be synchronized with the casualty's breathing. If the casualty has stopped breathing, artificial respiration should be performed immediately by blowing air through the cricothyroid membrane tube. After breathing stops, the heart will inevitably stop as well, so external cardiac massage should be performed at the same time as artificial respiration and rescue.

4. Treatment of skull base fracture

For the casualties with head trauma, if there is the panda eye sign of extensive bruising around the eye sockets, or clear or bloody liquid flowing out of the external auditory canal or nostrils, it means that the casualty has a skull base fracture, ruptured meninges, and the cranial cavity is connected to the outside world. At this time, you must never use handkerchiefs or cotton balls to block the cerebrospinal fluid or blood flowing out of the external auditory canal and nostrils; you must not use any liquid to flush or drip any medicine inside to prevent bacteria from entering and causing serious intracranial infection. If the injured person is conscious and has no other injuries, he or she can be sent directly to the hospital for treatment without any treatment.

5. Treatment of scalp avulsion

Scalp avulsion injuries are mostly caused by long hair being caught in a rotating machine, causing large pieces of scalp to be torn off under the fascia aponeurotica or even along with the periosteum of the skull. Most of the injured suffered shock due to massive blood loss and severe pain.

First aid: The rescuer should quickly use finger pressure to press the blood on the superficial temporal artery in front of the ear and the surrounding bleeding blood vessels. In an emergency, a small clip can be used to clamp the bleeding blood vessels to stop the bleeding, and the wound should be covered with a clean dressing and pressure bandage should be applied. Wrap the torn scalp with a dry cloth and send it to the hospital together with the injured. Try to get treatment within 12 hours. s