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#AskPracMed – How do I control a bleed without a first aid kit?

Without a kit, your options are limited to your hands,  but they’re more effective than most people think. Direct digital occlusion means placing a finger directly into the wound and up against the source of bleeding, which can significantly reduce blood loss at the source. The other option is indirect pressure using arterial control points.  For the arm, compress the radial artery at the wrist; for the lower limbs, use the iliac control point. These are temporary interventions to buy time until a proper trauma kit is available, and they’re covered in every PracMed first aid course.

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Simon Carkeek

Simon is a former NZDF Recon Operator and Patrol Commander with over a decade of service, including two deployments to Afghanistan, Solomon Islands peacekeeping, and humanitarian and disaster relief operations in Indonesia following the 2004 tsunami. Domestically, he responded to the Christchurch earthquakes and the Scotts Ferry floods. After service, Simon spent nearly five years in private contracting across Asia Pacific and the Middle East — working as a PSD Team Medic, Site Security Manager, and setting up medical clinics in austere environments where the nearest hospital was a long way away. He's a former action guy and a self-described meatball medic. He founded PracMed NZ because most first aid training wasn't preparing people for real emergencies. It still isn't, everywhere else.