Upon arrival at a patient with a partial amputation of the leg and active bleeding, your first treatment should be:

• A. Elevate the limb
• B. Apply direct pressure to the wound
• C. Start IV fluids
• D. Apply ice

Answer: (C)

Stopping external bleeding is the first priority in a trauma scenario like this. The immediate step is to apply direct pressure to the wound to tamponade the bleeding and buy time for transport. If bleeding cannot be controlled with direct pressure alone, escalate to a tourniquet placed proximal to the injury and monitor time of application. Elevating the limb might help indirectly, but it does not substitute for applying pressure to stop the bleed. IV fluids are important for treating shock, but they should come after you’ve addressed the bleeding source; you can establish IV access during care, yet the initial action remains controlling the hemorrhage. Ice isn’t helpful here and can risk tissue injury, so it isn’t used to manage active bleeding from a traumatic amputation.