SUPPRESSION OF HEMORRHAGE 



By E. WALLIS HOARE, F.R.C.V.S., Cork, Ireland 



The arrest of hemorrhage is one of the most important 

 points in connection with the technic for the treatment 

 of both surgical and accidental wounds. There are two 

 reasons why hemorrhage should be controlled: 



1. To prevent a fatal termination from excessive loss of blood. 



2. Hemorrhage lowers the vitality of the animal's system and 



hence retards the healing of wounds. Also blood clots in a 

 wound form a nidus for the development of micro-organisms. 



Fatal hemorrhage, so far as wounds are concerned, 

 occurs when a large blood vessel is severed and profes- 

 sional assistance is not at hand. But it may result, in 

 spite of the efforts of the practitioner, when one or 

 more large vessels are severed that are so deeply situ- 

 ated they cannot be li gated. This may occur in the 

 case of extensive wounds due to the penetration of a 

 shaft between the forearm and the chest, or at any part 

 of the pectoral region, or in the vicinity of the inferior 

 aspect of the neck. 



In such cases but little time is allowed for the effort- 

 of the surgeon to prove successful. Very often more 

 than one vessel is severed, and unless ligation can be 

 employed without delay, a fatal termination will result. 

 Plugging the wound with tow is of little or no use when 

 the hemorrhage proceeds from a large vessel. In my 

 experience the only plan that offers any chance of suc- 

 cess is to insert a temporary plug of tow and to cast 

 the animal immediately, then seek for the bleeding vessel 



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