Cuts and bleeding

Dr Rob Hicks last medically reviewed this article in January 2008

What causes them?

Most children have scrapes, falls, cuts and bruises as they learn to walk, climb and understand how to manoeuvre to avoid dangers.

Even tiny amounts of blood can seem like a lot to a child, so bleeding may frighten them because they don't understand the blood loss will stop when clotting occurs.

What are the symptoms?

Bleeding usually follows some sort of traumatic incident.

Dark red blood may ooze from small skin scrapes, or flow quickly from larger cuts. If an artery is damaged, the blood will appear brighter red and may spurt in pulses from the wound.

If there has been an accident involving glass, it may be possible to see the glass in the wound. This can be particularly painful, especially if the child tries to move the affected area.

In major accidents, broken bones occasionally stick out through a cut.

What's the treatment?

In most cases, blood loss is minor and soon stops of its own accord. Gentle pressure on the wound can help to slow blood loss. A clean, dry pad or plaster can also be applied to keep the wound clean.

If bleeding is profuse, it's important to stop it as quickly as possible. Raise the affected part of the body, if possible, and apply pressure using a clean pad of tissue or fabric. Maintain pressure until the bleeding stops, then tape the pad in place.

Don't disturb the wound or try to remove any glass, dirt or foreign bodies embedded in it, or extruding bone. Get advice from your local minor injuries unit or accident and emergency department.

If the bleeding doesn't stop, call an ambulance.

If the child has lost a lot of blood, lie them down with their feet raised on a couple of pillows. Keep them warm with a blanket until the ambulance arrives.

If a child has repeated bleeds or bruising, especially without any notable accident or trauma, or if they have bleeding that seems very slow to stop, seek medical advice. Bleeding disorders such as haemophilia or von Willebrand disease are rare, but can occur in families with no history of the problem.