Describe venous bleeding.

Describe venous bleeding.

• A. Dark red; steady flow
• B. Bright red; spurting
• C. Bright red; oozing
• D. Dark red; pulsating flow

Answer: (A)

Venous bleeding shows dark red blood and a steady, continuous flow. Veins carry blood under low pressure, so when a vein is cut the blood tends to ooze out at a moderate pace rather than spurt. The color is darker because the blood is less oxygenated. In contrast, arterial bleeding would present bright red blood that spurts with each heartbeat due to higher pressure, and capillary bleeding would ooze more slowly and may appear a lighter red. So the combination of dark color and a steady flow best describes venous bleeding.

Venous bleeding shows dark red blood and a steady, continuous flow. Veins carry blood under low pressure, so when a vein is cut the blood tends to ooze out at a moderate pace rather than spurt. The color is darker because the blood is less oxygenated. In contrast, arterial bleeding would present bright red blood that spurts with each heartbeat due to higher pressure, and capillary bleeding would ooze more slowly and may appear a lighter red. So the combination of dark color and a steady flow best describes venous bleeding.