First Aid for Open Wounds
If the wound is in an inconspicuous location, is not deep, and gapes slightly, the first-aider may find that he need only hold the wound edges together and dress and bandage the injury. At times, however, it may be difficult for the first-aider to decide whether a wound needs medical care. He may ask himself, for example, whether it will need suturing by a physician.
Example of Open-wound condition that require medical treatment :
- Blood spurting from a wound even if controlled initially by first aid.
- Bleeding that persists despite all efforts to control it.
- An incised wound deeper than the outer layer of skin.
- Any laceration, deep puncture or avulsion.
- Severed or crushed nerve, tendon, or muscle.
- Laceration of the face or other parts of the body where scar tissues would be noticeable after healing.
- Skin broken by a bite, human or animal.
- Heavy contamination of a wound by soil or organic fertilizer (manure).
- Foreign object embedded deep in the tissue.
- Foreign matter in a wound, not possible to remove by washing.
- Any other open-wound situation in which there is doubt about what to do.
