Proper Wound Care

It’s bad enough when you suffer a puncture, scrape or cut, but when you don’t practice proper wound care you can end up with an infection or more severe injury.

Follow these steps to ensure that you’re practicing proper first aid for a cut or puncture wound:

• Clean the wound with cool water.
• Gently wash the wound and surrounding area with water and soap. Although this can be painful, it’s important to wash a wound to prevent infections. Additionally, don’t assume that a wound is clean because you can’t see any dirt or debris.
• Apply gentle pressure to the wound with clean gauze, cotton or an absorbent material to stop any bleeding.
• Raise the wound above your heart, if possible, to slow any bleeding.
• Apply an antibacterial ointment and a clean bandage to the wound. When you apply a bandage, make sure that no adhesive material is over an open portion of the wound.
• Change bandages at least once every day, making sure to keep the wound clean and dry at all times.
• Apply ice to the wound regularly to reduce any swelling or pain.

If a wound exhibits any of the following signs, you should seek immediate medical attention:

• The wound is large or deep, even if bleeding isn’t severe.
• The wound is on your face, reaches the bone or is more than a quarter inch deep.
• The wound was caused by a rusty object, even if you’ve had a tetanus shot within the last 10 years.
• The wound shows signs of infection, including redness beyond the edge of the wound, warmth, pus draining or swelling.
• The wound contains debris that can’t be removed, or if there is a long or deeply stuck object in the wound.
• The wound was caused by a bite.