Describe arterial bleeding.

Describe arterial bleeding.

• A. Bright red; gushing with pulse
• B. Dark red; slow oozing
• C. Dark red; steady flow
• D. Bright red; continuous trickle

Answer: (A)

Arterial bleeding is blood coming from arteries, which carry blood away from the heart under high pressure. Because of that pressure, the blood is bright red and tends to spurting or gushing with each heartbeat. That pulsatile flow is the distinctive clue that it’s arterial rather than venous bleeding. The other descriptions—dark red blood that oozes slowly, or a steady flow, or a bright red trickle—fit lower-pressure bleeds (like from veins or capillaries) rather than arteries. In practice, arterial bleeding demands rapid and firm control, since the high pressure makes it harder to stop.

Arterial bleeding is blood coming from arteries, which carry blood away from the heart under high pressure. Because of that pressure, the blood is bright red and tends to spurting or gushing with each heartbeat. That pulsatile flow is the distinctive clue that it’s arterial rather than venous bleeding. The other descriptions—dark red blood that oozes slowly, or a steady flow, or a bright red trickle—fit lower-pressure bleeds (like from veins or capillaries) rather than arteries. In practice, arterial bleeding demands rapid and firm control, since the high pressure makes it harder to stop.