When should a hemostatic dressing be used in field care?

• A. Only for internal bleeding.
• B. Only for small superficial bleeds.
• C. When direct pressure fails to control life-threatening external bleeding or for wounds that are difficult to compress.
• D. Only after placing a tourniquet.

Answer: (C)

Hemostatic dressings are used to speed clotting when heavy external bleeding cannot be controlled by direct pressure, especially in wounds that are hard to compress. In field care you first try direct pressure; if bleeding remains life-threatening or the injury location makes compression unreliable (such as in the groin, axilla, chest, or along joints), a hemostatic dressing helps to achieve stopping the bleed. They do not address internal bleeding, so they aren’t for injuries beneath the skin or in hollow organs. They aren’t limited to minor bleeds, which don’t require this intervention. And while a tourniquet is another tool for severe limb bleeding, you don’t have to wait to place one before using a hemostatic dressing; it can be applied as needed based on how the bleeding responds.