Procedure for head wounds http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836 lilly32261 One of my characters was beaten up pretty badly, and the back of his head has been bleeding for the past several minutes. (His head was slammed into a crate several times during the fight and caught on the head of a protruding nail. among other things.) I have several questions: -Would they (either the characters or paramedics) want to try and keep him awake? What would they do if he passed out? -They have to wait at least five minutes for the ambulance. What would they do to make him more comfortable/try to stop the bleeding? -How much blood would one have to lose before they passed out, and how much time would it take? -How long would they keep him in the hospital? -If he was concussed, what things would he need to be careful of, and for how long? -How much would the paramedics ask? He's about fifteen, by a warehouse that exploded a few minutes prior to their arrival, and with a girl about his age who swears he's her brother even though they look nothing alike. If you need any other info just ask and I'll try to provide it. Thanks in advance! Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:51:18 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1111693 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1111693 lilly32261 I should probably add that one of the characters has some medical training. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:52:08 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1111695 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1111695 Chelle-Lynn 1. They'd try to keep him awake, but not because the wound is bleeding... because it sounds like he jarred his head pretty hard and may have a concussion. 2. Elevate the head, apply pressure to the wound. Lots of pressure. 3. Head wounds bleed pretty badly, but you have to loose a heck of a lot of blood before you pass out. Unless he was bleeding from somewhere else, he probably wouldn't lose consciousness due to the bleeding. 4. Probably overnight for observation, make sure there were no sequelae from the head injury. 5. People with concussions tend to get headaches for a while. Assuming it wasn't something worse (bleeding into the brain), he wouldn't have to be incredibly careful, just shouldn't jar his head more. 6. The paramedics would ask as much information as they needed to assess him. What happened? How far was he thrown, etc. They wouldn't care why he was there (at least not in an official capacity)... that's a job for the police. Same concept of someone coming into the ER obviously doing illegal drugs... you need to know what they're using so you can treat them, but you're not going to tell the police that they're doing something illegal. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:27:10 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1137446 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1137446 Notkieran Are you looking at one injury or two? That is, a deep cut on the head (which would imply skull damage) or a scalp wound and a concussion? Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:53:37 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1140145 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1140145 lilly32261 Scalp wound and concussion. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:37:49 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1140497 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1140497 Grifty The EMTs/paramedics are also going to throw a collar on him and possibly put him on a backboard. Especially if he lost consciousness at all. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:22:22 +1000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1141698 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/reference-desk/threads/49836?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1141698