GarrotePasso 3
Garrote comercial (tipo CAT ou SOF-T)
Why: o único tipo de garrote que o ERC recomenda. Aprende a usá-lo num curso — e desconfia de cópias baratas.
Essential guide · Base level · 7 min
Essential guideBase level · open to all7 min read
Bleeding, wounds and burns: what to do
Stopping severe bleeding with direct pressure and, if needed, a tourniquet; treating minor wounds; and cooling a burn properly — following the ERC and INEM.
Reviewed 1 Oct 2026
09·EStopping severe bleeding
In 30 seconds
The essentials, in four points.
Pressure
direct, firm and continuous, with your hand on a dressing or clean cloth. If it soaks through, add more on top — don't lift it to look.
5–7 cm
For severe bleeding from an arm or leg that pressure doesn't control, a manufactured tourniquet 5–7 cm above the wound, never over a joint.
20 min
of cool running water on a burn, as soon as possible — it still helps up to 3 hours later. Not ice-cold.
0 ice
No ice, toothpaste, butter or olive oil on a burn. And don't burst the blisters.
01Why it matters
Severe bleeding kills in minutes. The person next to you can stop it.
Severe bleeding from an arm or leg can kill long before an ambulance arrives. What stops it is simple: direct pressure on the wound and, if that isn't enough, a tourniquet. The European Resuscitation Council (ERC) guidelines are clear about the order — and about what not to do.
Burns are the other home accident where the first minutes matter most: cooling well and early reduces the depth of the burn and the need for hospital treatment.
Severe bleeding
Blood spurts or pours out and doesn't stop. It's an emergency: 112 and direct pressure, now.
Minor wound
A cut or graze that bleeds a little. Wash, cover and watch for signs of infection.
Burn
Hot water, oil, fire, chemicals or electricity. Cool with running water for 20 minutes.
02Severe bleeding
Protect. Press. Tourniquet if needed.
Step 1
Protect and call
Gloves, if available. Call 112 on speaker, or ask someone to. Lay the person down: it helps prevent fainting and shock.
Step 2
Press
A dressing — ideally a haemostatic one — or clean cloth directly on the wound, and firm pressure with your hand. Don't let up. If it soaks through, add more on top.
Step 3
Tourniquet
If bleeding from an arm or leg won't stop with pressure: manufactured tourniquet 5–7 cm above the wound, tightened until the bleeding stops. Note the time and don't remove it.
1
Don't lift the dressing to check whether it has stopped: you'll break up the clot that was forming.
2
A pressure bandage can help keep up pressure once bleeding is controlled — but it doesn't replace your hand while blood is flowing.
3
Pressure points and ice don't work for severe bleeding. The ERC doesn't recommend them.
4
Tightening a tourniquet hurts a lot. That's normal. Tighten until the bleeding stops. Sometimes a second tourniquet next to the first is needed.
5
Only the hospital removes a tourniquet. Write the time on the tourniquet or a label and tell the paramedics.
6
Improvised tourniquets only with training and only if no manufactured one is available and direct pressure isn't enough. A badly made tourniquet doesn't stop bleeding and can cause harm.
03Minor wounds
Wash, cover, watch.
1
Wash your hands or put on gloves before touching the wound.
2
Wash the wound under clean running water until visible dirt comes out. Small splinters or sand may come out with the stream of water.
3
Cover with a plaster or clean dressing and change it when it gets dirty or wet.
4
See a doctor if the wound is deep, gapes, was caused by a bite or has dirt that won't come out.
5
Watch for signs of infection over the next days: spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus, fever or red streaks from the wound. If they appear, call SNS 24 or see a doctor.
6
Check your tetanus vaccination. In Portugal adults get boosters at 25, 45 and 65, then every 10 years. If you're not sure you're up to date, ask your health centre.
04Burns
Running water, 20 minutes. Then cover.
Plate 09·F — Cooling a burnCool running water · cling film
1
Is it a chemical or electrical burn, on the face or airway, or did the person breathe in smoke?
Yes
Call 112Chemicals: rinse with running water for at least 20 minutes, don't try to neutralise. Electrical: switch off the power before touching the person.
No
2
Is it large or deep, or on the face, genitals or buttocks?
Yes
Cool and go to A&ECool for 20 minutes, cover and get medical care. If in doubt, call 112 or SNS 24.
No
3
Is it small, red and painful, with no blisters or only small ones?
Yes
Treat at homeCool for 20 minutes and cover. Watch it over the next days. If in doubt, SNS 24: 808 24 24 24.
No
In every case: cool firstThe sooner the better — it still helps up to 3 hours later. With babies and young children, if in doubt, call SNS 24.
05Six costly mistakes
Bleeding and burns myths — and what to do instead.
Myth
“Lift the dressing now and then to see if it's stopped.”
Every time you lift it, you break up the clot. Keep pressing and add dressings on top.
Myth
“Any belt or cord will do as a tourniquet.”
Improvised tourniquets often fail. The ERC only accepts them if no manufactured one is available and the person applying it is trained.
Myth
“Pressing a pressure point or using ice stops bleeding.”
Not recommended. What works is direct pressure on the wound and, if needed, a tourniquet.
Myth
“Toothpaste, butter or olive oil soothe a burn.”
They worsen the injury and raise the risk of infection. Only cool running water.
Myth
“Ice is best for cooling a burn.”
Ice causes more damage and can cause hypothermia. Cool running water, not ice-cold.
Myth
“Blisters should be popped to help them dry.”
The blister protects the skin underneath. Popping it raises the risk of infection.
06Recommended equipment
The kit that stops bleeding and treats burns.
A standard first-aid kit handles minor wounds. For severe bleeding, add haemostatic dressings and a manufactured tourniquet — and learn to use them on a course. For burns, cling film and saline.
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PressionarPasso 2
Compressas hemostáticas
Why: ajudam o sangue a coagular mais depressa quando aplicadas com pressão direta.
ProtegerPasso 1
Luvas de nitrilo descartáveis
Why: protegem-te a ti e à ferida.
QueimadurasSecção 04
Película aderente
Why: para cobrir uma queimadura depois de arrefecida, sem apertar. A de cozinha serve.
Quick card
Print it. Stick it in the first-aid kit.
Stick this sheet inside the lid of the first-aid kit.
Bleeding and burns · K72 sheet
1Severe bleeding: 112 + firm direct pressure, don't lift.
2Won't stop, arm or leg: tourniquet 5–7 cm above; note the time.
3Chest wound: don't cover. Pressure only around it.
4Burn: running water 20 min, cool, not ice-cold.
5No ice, toothpaste, butter. Don't pop blisters.
6Chemical, electrical, face or large: 112.
09·E · k72plus.comEMERGENCY: 112
- European Resuscitation Council — Guidelines 2021: First aid — direct pressure, haemostatic dressings, tourniquets, chest wounds, 20-min burn cooling, chemical eye injury
- European Resuscitation Council — Guidelines 2025: First aid
- Resuscitation Council UK — First aid guidelines 2025 — tourniquet 5–7 cm, note the time, don't release
- INEM — Burns (in Portuguese) — no ice, toothpaste, butter or olive oil; stuck clothing
- NHS (UK) — Burns and scalds — 20 min up to 3 h after, cling film, when to go to A&E
- SNS 24 — National Vaccination Programme (in Portuguese) — tetanus boosters
Reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · Next review: Mar 2027 · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
This guide does not replace a first-aid course or assessment by a health professional. In an emergency, call 112; for health questions in Portugal, SNS 24: 808 24 24 24.
