A nurse's handbook of obstetrics . blood escapes through the vessels of the cord beforeit has separated from the body, a fresh ligature is to be appliedand tied tightly and carefully. If the blood comes from the navel itself at the base of thecord, either before or after its separation, it can usually becontrolled by firm pressure with hot compresses (no° F.) untilthe arrival of the physician. The treatment which he will prob-ably adopt if the hemorrhage is severe and continues for a longtime is to transfix the base of the navel with two long neediesinserted at right angles to each other and c
A nurse's handbook of obstetrics . blood escapes through the vessels of the cord beforeit has separated from the body, a fresh ligature is to be appliedand tied tightly and carefully. If the blood comes from the navel itself at the base of thecord, either before or after its separation, it can usually becontrolled by firm pressure with hot compresses (no° F.) untilthe arrival of the physician. The treatment which he will prob-ably adopt if the hemorrhage is severe and continues for a longtime is to transfix the base of the navel with two long neediesinserted at right angles to each other and compress the vesselsagainst them with a tight figure-of-eight ligature. EMBOLISM. 273 In rare cases, where no physician can be secured, the nursemay have to do this herself. Every antiseptic precaution is tobe faithfully observed, and the needles (darning needles willanswer) and silk or bobbin tape must be boiled. The navel is to be pinched up with the thumb and forefingerand a needle thrust through its base from side to side at a. Fig. 131.—Figure-of-eight ligature. For controlling secondary hemorrhage from the umbilicus. depth of about one quarter of an inch. The second needle isthen to be inserted in the same manner, at right angles to thefirst, and the ligature passed tightly over the ends in figure-of-eight loops and drawn up until every vestige of bleeding, oreven oozing, has ceased (Fig. 131). The needles may be re-moved at the end of six or eight hours, but the ligature shouldbe allowed to remain and come off when it will. The dressings should be changed daily and the most rigidantiseptic precautions must be observed until the parts areentirely well. While the nurse should, of course, make every possibleeffort, both by study and training, to so prepare herself thatshe may be always ready to cope with the unexpected inobstetric or other surgical practice, it must be constantly bornein mind that technical perfection alone will avail little ornothing in such crises unles
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