Man's 'fantastic' life-saving act after horrific power tool injury
The Sydney man was forced to act after suffering a serious laceration to his arm.
A man's quick thinking has been hailed by emergency services after he performed potentially life-saving first aid on himself.
The man suffered a deep laceration to his forearm on Wednesday morning in the western Sydney suburb of Dean Park.
NSW Ambulance say they were called to Glenn Street about 10.25am to reports the man in his 50s had severely sliced his arm with a grinder.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Nicholle Mengell praised the man's actions in the moments after the gruesome injury.
“The man did a fantastic job at carrying out first aid on himself and applied a makeshift tourniquet.
“This helped stem the bleeding which is what we’re always worried about when there are power tools involved. Applying first aid by way of direct pressure or tourniquet to arrest life threatening haemorrhage is the priority in these situations and can make all the difference."
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Paramedics cleaned the wound on arrival and treated him at the scene. He was transported to Westmead Hospital where he remains in a stable condition.
How to apply a makeshift tourniquet
According to Australian first aid experts First Aid Accident & Emergency, tourniquets are vital when a person is losing blood uncontrollably from a limb. A makeshift tourniquet can simply be a piece of clothing or fabric tied around a limb to reduce the flow of blood to the injured area.
"We recommend that you apply the tourniquet horizontal, high and tight to the affected limb," First Aid Accident & Emergency says.
They also advise avoiding treating the wound with a towel as this will "suck too much blood out of the wound".
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