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Abdominal and chest wounds can be quite serious because internal organs may be damaged, which can cause internal bleeding as well as shock. Abdominal and chest wounds are considered an emergency, and you should call for immediate medical help. This is especially important if there are symptoms of shock, which may include:
Stopping Bleeding
Injuries and certain medical conditions can result in bleeding. This can trigger anxiety and fear, but bleeding has a healing purpose. Still, you need to understand how to treat common bleeding incidents such as cuts and bloody noses, as well as when to seek medical help.
Before you begin to treat an injury, you should identify its severity as best you can. There are some situations in which you shouldn’t try to administer any kind of first aid at all. If you suspect that there’s internal bleeding or if there’s an embedded object surrounding the site of the injury, immediately call 911 or your local emergency services.
Also seek immediate medical care for a cut or wound if:
- it’s jagged, deep, or a puncture wound
- it’s on the face
- it’s the result of an animal bite
- there’s dirt that won’t come out after washing
- the bleeding will not stop after 15 to 20 minutes of first aid
If a person is bleeding profusely, be on the lookout for symptoms of shock. Cold, clammy skin, a weakened pulse, and loss of consciousness can all indicate that a person is about to go into shock from blood loss, according to the Mayo Clinic. Even in cases of moderate blood loss, the bleeding person may feel lightheaded or nauseous.
If possible, have the injured person lie down on the floor while you wait for medical care to arrive. If they are able, have them elevate their legs above their heart. This should help circulation to the vital organs while you wait for help. Hold continuous direct pressure on the wound until help arrives.
When your skin is cut or scraped, you begin to bleed. This is because blood vessels in the area are damaged. Bleeding serves a useful purpose because it helps to clean out a wound. However, too much bleeding can cause your body to go into shock.
You can’t always judge the seriousness of a cut or wound by the amount it bleeds. Some serious injuries bleed very little. On the other hand, cuts on the head, face, and mouth may bleed a lot because those areas contain a lot of blood vessels.
Abdominal and chest wounds can be quite serious because internal organs may be damaged, which can cause internal bleeding as well as shock. Abdominal and chest wounds are considered an emergency, and you should call for immediate medical help. This is especially important if there are symptoms of shock, which may include:
- dizziness
- weakness
- pale and clammy skin
- shortness of breath
- increased heart rate
A first aid kit that’s properly stocked can make all the difference in stopping heavy bleeding. You should keep the following items around for situations where you may need to close a wound:
- sterilized medical gloves
- sterile gauze dressings
- small scissors
- medical grade tape
Saline wash can also be helpful to have on hand in order to clear out debris or dirt from a wound without touching it. An antiseptic spray, applied at the site of the cut, can help staunch blood flow and also reduce the risk of a cut becoming infected later on.
In the days following an injury, be on the lookout to ensure that a wound is healing correctly. If the initial scab covering the wound grows bigger or becomes surrounded by redness, there may be an infection. A cloudy fluid or pus draining from the wound is also a sign of possible infection. If the person develops a fever or begins to have pain again at the sign of the cut, seek medical attention immediately.
First aid do’s
- Help the person to remain calm. If the cut is large or bleeding heavily, have them lie down. If the wound is on an arm or leg, raise the limb above the heart to slow bleeding.
- Remove obvious debris from the wound, such as sticks or grass.
- If the cut is small, wash it out with soap and water.
- After putting on clean latex gloves, apply firm pressure to the wound with a folded cloth or bandage for about 10 minutes. If blood soaks through, add another cloth or bandage and continue putting pressure on the cut for an additional 10 minutes.
- When bleeding has stopped, tape a clean bandage over the cut.
First aid don’ts
- Don’t remove an object if it’s embedded in the body.
- Don’t attempt to clean a large wound.
- When first applying the bandage, don’t remove it to look at the wound during this time. It may begin bleeding again.
How to Stop Bleeding in Small and Deep Cuts
Accidents happen all the time, from your child’s latest boo-boo to a co-worker’s on-the-job injury to slicing your finger while chopping veggies, so knowing how to stop the bleeding is key.
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Emergency medicine physician Baruch Fertel, MD, shares first-aid tips on how to treat a cut.
How to stop a small cut from bleeding
Small cuts are minor injuries that typically stop bleeding on their own or after a few minutes of direct pressure. They don’t go any deeper than the skin, and there’s no substantial blood loss.
“There’s a big difference between a paper cut that doesn’t stop oozing for 15 minutes versus a serious wound that’s constantly pouring out a lot of blood,” Dr. Fertel says. “Sometimes that small cut just needs some patience”
Small cuts are annoying and painful, but fortunately, they’re not dangerous, and you can treat them at home. Dr. Fertel shares the steps to take with a small cut.
1. Apply pressure
Place clean gauze or cloth on the wound and apply direct pressure. For stubborn small bleeds, you may need to hold pressure for 15 minutes without interruption to allow a clot to form.
2. Elevate
If the cut is on your legs or arms, elevate the limb above heart level to slow the blood flow. Keep putting direct pressure on the cut.
3. Wash the wound
When the wound stops bleeding, release the pressure. Wash the area with soap and water to prevent infection. Be gentle to avoid re-opening the wound.
4. Bandage it up
Apply a bandage to protect the area. “Simple soap and water and a bandage do the job of keeping the cut clean and protected,” Dr. Fertel explains. “I’m not a fan of using anything else such as hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or antibiotic cream.”
How to handle deep cuts
Dr. Fertel says a deep cut is any wound that’s gaping, jagged and looks deep, revealing fat or muscle. Even if you can stop the bleeding, a doctor should examine a deep cut because it may need stitches or other advanced wound closure.
But it’s often difficult to stop the bleeding of a deep cut, and uncontrolled bleeding from a deep or large cut is a very serious situation. Call 911 if you experience:
- Spurting blood.
- Blood soaking through dressings.
- A significant amount of blood loss.
- Bleeding that’s not controlled by applying pressure.
- A wound that penetrates the chest or abdomen. The cut may have affected vital organs.
First-aid kit items for deep cuts
If a first-aid kit is available, look for these items designed to stop intense bleeding:
- Hemostatic gauze has medicine on it that helps blood quickly clot. Use it to pack deep cuts on the neck or torso, Dr. Fertel says.
- A tourniquet is another tool that stops bleeding by wrapping around an extremity (limb) to cut off blood flow from the heart. Use this if a limb has a deep cut and is bleeding profusely.
Signs a cut is infected
A scab — a patch of crusty, tough tissue — typically forms during the healing process, creating a protective shield over the wound. Eventually, the scab falls off to reveal healthy, shiny skin, and you feel as good as new — just another day on the job for the incredible human body.
Sometimes, though, infection sets in before a scab can form. Seek medical attention if you notice signs of infection, including:
- Fever.
- Increase in pain.
- Swelling, redness or warmth around the wound.
- Pus (yellowish liquid) oozing out of the wound.
The healing process takes about three weeks, but the first step is crucial. Knowing how to properly care for a cut following injury could save someone’s life. And correctly treating small cuts helps prevent infection.
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