Open wounds

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Identify the type of bleeding

• Capillary-- Light oozing bleeding: scrapes and shallow cuts.
• Veinous-- Dark red blood, steady flow: minor to moderate cuts, tears, small punctures.
• Arterial-- Bright red blood that spurts with pulse: serious cuts, punctures, tears. Life threatening! Call 911.

Identify the type of wound

• Abrasion-- Scrape (e.g., road rash); painful, may be contaminated with debris.
• Laceration-- Cut made by a sharp object: may be straight or jagged, superficial or deep.
• Puncture-- May haven little bleeding around the outside, but there is possiblility of internal bleeding.
• Avulsion-- Tearing off of skin or body part, ranging from a flap of skin to a near amputation.
• Amputation-- When a body part becomes completely severed: may have extreme or slight bleeding.

Standard open wound treatment

• BSI and Initial assessment.
• Expose wound. Remove clothing as necessary.
• If bleeding is not severe, rinse the wound and apply dressing.
• Don't pick out individual bits of crud-- that requires more sterile instruments.
• Apply direct pressure to the wound (10 minutes uninterrupted).
  • Apply indirect pressure if there are any objects impaled in the wound. Do not ever remove impaled objects. Pad around them to stabilize them and call 911.
• If bleeding continues, add more dressings, but do not peel back dressing to look at wound, as this will break up the clot that may be forming.
• If bleeding continues, elevate the wound.
• If bleeding persists, call 911. Apply pressure to brachial or femoral pressure points (if injury is on a limb).
• Once bleeding is controlled, apply a pressure bandage. Check capillaries to make sure it's not too tight.
• Apply dressing as needed to hold the bandage in place and to protect the wound.

Aftercare

See Injury aftercare#Wound and Injury aftercare (herbal) for aftercare information.

Infection

If signs of infection appear-- pus, bad smell, fever, or swollen lymph nodes:

• Apply compresses of warm salt water 3 times a day. 2 tablespoons of bleach added to the water will do a great deal to treat the infection.
• You can spread on honey or a little antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin after each soak.
• Get the person to further care (like a doctor). They may need antibiotics. Certain types of infections can kill a person within a few days.

Special considerations

1. Taser.
2. Police dog bite.
3. Special considerations for gunshot wounds and shrapnel wounds.
4. Documenting injuries (police brutality).
5. Other protocols.

Notes

This material is intended as a training supplement. Reading this material is no substitute for first aid / medical training with a qualified trainer. We encourage you to pursue ongoing education, reviewing and upgrading your skills-- for the safety of both yourself and anyone you treat.

Original source

See List of original sources#Open wounds.