Wound Care

There are six different kinds of open wounds, all of which are treated for the same way. With the exception of a few minor differences. For most open wounds you want to apply pressure and if that doesn't stop the bleeding elevate the wound above the heart. With a really bad injury where neither pressure or elevation have been successful you would then want to put pressure on the closest pressure point to the wound, and still keep it elevated and direct pressure. In a life or death situation where you are in the wilderness or no where near medical personal, you should apply a tourniquet. You should only apply a tourniquet where it is a life over limb. If the wound is dirty there is a high risk of infection and should seek medical help as soon as possible. Same goes for large wounds where the edges do not meet. If the injury is as deep as to show bone, fat, muscle or tendons they should seek medical attention as well.

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Abrasions:
An "abrasion is when the top layer of skin is removed or damaged, commonly referred to as a scrap road rash, or scuff" (Thygerson 109). In a situation like this there is barely any blood if at all. Treatment is as easy as cleaning the area with a little soap and water, making sure to get any foreign objects out of the wound. After cleaning the wound you should apply an antibacterial ointment, then cover the area with a clean dry bandage.

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Lacerations:

"A lacerations is cut skin with jagged, irregular edges" (Thygerson 109). A laceration is caused when the skin is torn in two different ways and just rips do to those forces acting in different ways. Treatment for a laceration is just as simple as an abrasion. You are going to want to clean the wound with a slightly soapy water, getting what ever foriegn objects out of the area. Then apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment, and cover with a clean dry bandage.

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Incisions:
An incision is a wound that is created with a thin sharp object and leaves two smooth edges unlike a laceration. Most of incisions are made by a surgical scalp, they can also be paper cuts. In a case where they are surgically done, the surgeon would close it up with stitches. Paper cuts are easy to treat as well with a little antibacterial ointment and a bandage if possible.

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Punctures:
"Punctures are deep narrow wounds in the skin and underlying organs such as a stab wound form a nail or knife" (Thygerson 109). The number one rule when dealing with a puncture wound is not to remove the object from the victim. Put as much dressing around the object as you possible can to both support if from moving around causing more damage and to stop the bleeding. In the rare case that the puncture wound is in the eye you want to completely support the object with gauze and cover both eyes. You want to cover both eyes because if one is able to look around, the other eye fallows it moving the object and causing more damage. Wait until getting to a medical professional before removing any object involved in a puncture wound. It is not only important to go to medical personal as soon as possible to remove the object but also because puncture wounds are at a extremely high risk of an infection. Such as Tetanus, the victim may have to get another booster if theirs wasn't within the last 5 years or they are unsure when the last one was.

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Avulsion:
An avulsion is when "a piece of skin and or underlying tissue is town loose and is hanging from the body" (Thygerson 109). Avulsions can cause heavy bleeding and should be brought to the attention of medical personal. Stitches may be necessary in a situation like this. Until you arrive at a hospital do your best to stop the bleeding with pressure and elevation, also try to realign the part of skin that is hanging from the body if it is possible.

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Amputations:
"An amputation involves the cutting or tearing off of a body part, such as a finger, toe, hand, foot, arm or leg"(Thygerson 109). An amputation should be treated the same as any other open wound. Pressure and elevation if needed, you also want to treat the victim for shock. However, the most important part of treating an amputation victim is to recover the lost body part. The severed body part should be transferred with the victim if possible.  Majority of amputation victims that loose a smaller body part such as a finger or toe, are able the get it reattached as long as the body part is transferred correctly. To transfer a severed body part correctly you must wrap it in a clean sterile gauze, place in a waterproof bag if available or a plastic bag, place that bag on a bed of ice to keep it cool.


(All information unless other wise cited is from my own knowledge that I have collected throughout the last couple years in: Health 103 class notes, Kinesiology 190 class notes, and attending a CPR certification course at Hackensack University Medical Center)