If direct pressure fails to immediately stop severe bleeding from an extremity, you should apply:

• A. a tourniquet proximal to the injury.
• B. a splint and elevate the extremity.
• C. additional sterile dressings.
• D. digital pressure to a proximal artery.

Answer: (A)

When direct pressure isn’t enough to stop severe bleeding from an arm or leg, the next step is to rapidly cut off arterial blood flow by applying a tourniquet around the limb, positioned proximal to the wound. This device constricts the vessels and halts the blood loss at its source, buying vital time until professional care arrives. Splinting and elevating the limb help with stability and swelling but don’t reliably stop a high-pressure bleed. Adding more dressings doesn’t address the underlying arterial flow once direct pressure has failed. Pressing on the artery with a finger (digital pressure) isn’t practical for sustained control and cannot be maintained long enough in a real bleeding emergency. A tourniquet, when applied correctly, is the most effective maneuver to arrest life-threatening bleeding in this scenario.