Care of Minor Cuts

December 3rd, 2008

by Charnell S. Bellison

If your planning a hike or bike into the backwoods, you’ll have to plan for minor accidents. Inevitably, someone will fall and cut a knee, scalp or elbow. Lacerations can be initially treated in the field, but if it’s a serious one, you should seek treatment from a medical professional. The following is a pre-hospital field dressing technique that you can use until you get help.

The first thing to do, is to control bleeding. A little bleeding is actually OK, as long as it is a slow, minor bleed. In addition, minor bleeding can help to push out dirt and bacteria. If the bleeding is pulsed or streaming, or spurting out of the wound, then the wound is deep and the rapid control of the loss of blood is important. A little bleeding isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and it pushes out bacteria and foreign bodies that can cause an infection.

If you can, try to get out the bulk of the dirt and other foreign substances. Then apply direct pressure. You can use a clean cloth with an elastic wrap, or just have the patient hold a bunch of gauze firmly on the wound. This is the main treatment for the control of bleeding in any situation, and just about anywhere on the body.

Be sure to not remove the initial dressing to see if the bleeding has stopped. This is because, the bloods platelets are like little corks that form a small clot to stop bleeding. The platelets have to have a backstop so they can clump together and form the clot. Otherwise they’ll simply fall out of the wound and spill onto the ground. If and when the dressing gets soaked with blood, simply place some more dressing on top of the original one to assist in soaking up the blood. If bleeding is not controlled after 15 minutes, start heading to the ER.

After bleeding has stopped, you can look at the wound and decide whether you need to go to the ER for stiches. You have about 6-8 hours to get it stitched up, if you need it. How can you tell whether it needs stitches? In short, if the wound wants to stay open, or pop open with simple movement, it needs stitches!

About the Author:
That’s all there is to it! Please keep in mind, every set of circumstances is a little different. So if your not absolutely sure, seek immediate professional medical attention. Make sure to stop by the OnlineFirstAid.org Blog for more information, including Basic Suturing Techniques! Visit OnlineFirstAid.org

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