1 Clean wound
2Dress wound
Cuts and scrapes
PENETRATING CHEST WOUNDS • CUTS AND SCRAPES
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Small wounds, such as cuts and scrapes, rarely bleed for long and require little in the way of first-aid treatment. What is important, however, is to clean the wound and apply a sterile wound dressing as quickly as possible in order to minimize the risk of infection. Check, too, that the victim’ s tetanus immunization is up to date, and arrange a booster dose if necessary.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
• Oozing blood
• Localized pain
• Scraped area containing dirt and dust particles
TREATING CUTS AND SCRAPES
1 Clean wound
• Sit the victim down and reassure her. Even a minor fall can leave a victim feeling shaky.
• Rinse dirt from the cut or scrape under cold running water.
• Gently clean the entire wound area with sterile gauze swabs. Use a new swab for each stroke and work from the wound outward.
• Lift any loose material, such as glass, gravel, or metal with the corner of a gauze swab.
• Carefully pat the area dry with a clean gauze swab.
Wash scrape
2Dress wound
• For smaller cuts and scrapes, cover the injured area with an adhesive bandage.
• For larger injuries, place a sterile wound dressing over the injury and bandage it in place( p. 61).
• Rest the injured limb, preferably in a raised position.
Protect scrape with an adhesive bandage
Sit victim down
! Important
• Use disposable gloves and / or wash your hands well when dealing with body fluids.
• Do not touch the cut or scrape with your fingers to avoid infecting the wound.
• Avoid using cotton or any other dry fluffy material to clean a cut or scrape – such
material is likely to stick to the wound.