Identifying and Treating Wounds

By: Nick Izzo

Do you have a weak stomach? Do you not deal well with blood and individuals in pain who need your help? Well then I hope you are never in a situation that someone requires your help because then they are in some trouble. Today in this blog you will find out how to identify an individual that needs assistance and what to do to help them. And it is not scream and run away.

One injury that can possibly occur is an abrasion. This is nothing but a scraped knee or elbow or what have you but it is still important to treat. Treatment is necessary not because of the usual little amount of blood but because of the possibility of infection. More serious than an abrasion is a laceration. These are usually the result of a cut from a sharp object such as a knife as you prepare a pot of mixed vegetables or any sharp thing that just isn’t happy with you that day and decides to give you a nice cut. These cuts will often bleed for a while. There are also things called avulsions. Avulsions are very serious and definitely shouldn’t be dealt with by someone with a weak stomach. This is when your skin is torn off either resulting in it hanging there or coming clean off. These are open to serious infection and should be treated quite immediately.

Now you are probably wondering, how do I treat one of these injuries if I have to? Well, here it comes. You first want to expose the wound so you can clearly see it. This may need the removal of clothes of necessary.  It is now very important to prevent the wound from infection. You can do this by running water, mind you this water should be drinkable, over the wound to clear out and dirt or pebbles. This is when you should apply some pressure to control bleeding. This can be done with any type of bandage but it must be sterile. I also suggest a sterile rubber glove if you just so happen to have one or two on you. After bleeding seems to have died down, bandage should be applied. Also, against normal beliefs, do not use hydrogen peroxide or any type of alcohol on the wound. This can cause infection. When dealing with an avulsion though, take the same steps unless the skin has totally flopped off. Even though it has completely been torn off it can be saved if it’s put into cold water or ice and it can be reattached. This also means the wound still has to be treated properly.

It can be very hard to come up on a real life situation where someone has a laceration that needs treatment. It’s very important to remember these steps though and act as swiftly and cautious as possible. Knowing this information can really help someone in distress and possible save their life. Although hopefully none of us actually have to ever be in this situation.

After all those gory details here’s a laceration that we can all laugh at 

References:

Clausen, Kelsey. D2L - Michigan State University. N.p., n.d. d2l.com Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.

TheZachCrooks. "Step Brothers - Bunk Beds." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Oct. 2010. Youtube.com Accessed 27 Feb. 2017.