PE | Wounds and First Aid

Wounds

These are injuries that break the skin or other body tissues that are mostly caused by accidents.

Wound Infection

Occurs when bacteria grows within the damaged skin of the wound, leading to a slower healing process and increase pain, swelling, redness, and the risk of scarring. Severe infections can lead to other symptoms, such as: fever, nausea, and vomiting. To reduce the risk of infection, wounds are cleaned and protected.

Open Wounds

involves the exposure of a break in body tissue, usually involving the skin

Kinds of Open Wounds

Penetrating and Blunt Trauma

Penetrating Wounds

caused by a foreign object puncturing the skin that harms underlying tissue

Kinds of Penetrating Wounds

1. Puncture Wounds

2. Surgical Wounds

3. Thermal Burn

4. Radiation Burn

5. Chemical Burn

6. Electrical Burn

7. Friction Burn

8. Bites & Stings

Puncture Wounds

caused by an object that punches and penetrates the skin such as knife, splinter, needle and nail

Surgical Wounds/Incisions

these are wounds caused by clean, sharp objects such as a knife, razor, or piece of sharp glass

Thermal Burn

caused by external heat sources, such as hot metals, scalding liquids, steam, and flames, which raise the temperature of the skin & tissues and cause tissue cell death or charring

Radiation Burn

caused by prolonged exposure to ultraviolet rays of the sun and other sources of radiation such as therapeutic cancer treatments or nuclear power plant leaks

Chemical Burn

caused by strong acids, alkalis, detergents, or solvents coming into contact with the skin or eyes

Electrical Burn

from electrical current, either alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC)

Friction Burns

from direct damage to the cells and from the heat generated by friction

Bites and Stings

cause a small, red lump on the skin, which may be painful & itchy and followed by a an allergic reacting deposited into the skin by the insect

Blunt Trauma

brought about by mechanical power bringing about harm to the influenced tissues mainly because of compression, traction, torsion, and shear stresses

Kinds of Blunt Trauma

1. Abrasions

2. Lacerations

3. Skin Tears

Abrations

these are superficial wounds due to the top layer of skin being traumatically removed

Lacerations

these are wounds that are linear and regular in shape from sharp cuts, to irregularly shaped tears from trauma

Skin Tears

may occur due to shearing and friction forces or a blunt trauma, causing the epidermis to separate from the dermis (partial thickness wound) or both the epidermis and the dermis to separate from the underlying structures (full thickness wound)

Closed Wounds

from direct blunt trauma to the underlying skin that could possibly damage the muscles, internal organs and bones

Kind of Closed Wounds

1. Contusion

2. Hematomas

3. Blisters

Contusion

a common type of injury wherein small blood vessels, capillaries, muscles, underlying tissue, internal organs and, and/or in some cases, bone are damaged

Hematomas

a collection of blood outside of a blood vessel. It is mainly caused by traumas that lead to injuring the wall of the blood vessel, which pushes blood out to surrounding tissues

Blisters

a pocket of fluid that formed from the epidermis, the uppermost layer of the skin, caused by friction, freezing, burning, infection, and chemical burn

Acute Wounds

wounds that follows an expected rate of healing, can be traumatic or surgical

Traumatic Wounds

a minor cut, abrasion through to extensive tissue injuries are caused when a force exceeds the strength of the skin or the underlying supporting tissues

Surgical Wounds

these wounds are either incised and suture or laid open to heal by a surgeon, and these break the integrity of the skin including the epidermis and dermis

Chronic Wounds

has abnormal progress of healing, failing to show proof of recuperating within the amount of time, this leads to a lengthened recovery process; examples include diabetic and venous foot ulcers and heel inflammation

First Aid

the initial and immediate treatment given to any person that is suffering from either a minor or serious injury or illness; aims to preserve life, prevent conditions from worsening, and promote recovery

First Aid Kit Items

1. Plasters

2. Rolled Bandage

3. Sterile Gauze Pads

4. Triangular Bandage

5. Disposable Sterile Gloves

6. Safety Pins

7. Tweezers

8. Scissors

9. Alcohol Free Cleaning Wipes

10. Thermometer

11. Sitcky Tapes

12. Skin Rash Cream

13. Antiseptic Cream

14. Cream or spray to relieve insect bites and stings

15. Painkillers

16. Cough Medicine

17. Antihistamine tablets/creams

18. Distilled Water for cleaning wounds

19. Eye Wash & Bath

Plasters

an adhesive bandage used for small wounds that do not require full-sized bandages

Rolled Bandage

a strip of gauze or cotton material used to control bleeding

Sterile Gauze Pads

used to stop the wound from bleeding; keeps the wound clean to avoid infections

Triangular Bandage

a strong type of cloth used to help treat wounds, sprains, or broken bones

Treating Open Wounds

1. Stop the Bleading

2. Clean the Wound

3. Cover the Wound

Stopping Bleeding

Minor cuts and scrapes usually stop bleeding on their own. If not, apply gentle pressure with clean cloth and hold it for 20 to 30 minutes.

Cleaning Wounds

• Rinse the wound with clean water and avoid using soap.

• Use clean tweezers if a debris remains in the wound

• Use soap to clean ONLY the area of the wound.

Covering the Wound

• If the bleeding slows, cover the wound with a clean dressing and bandage.

• Dressings and bandages can help keep the wound clean and keep harmful bacteria out.

• Make sure the dressing is enough to cover the wound. A bandage can help to apply pressure to bleeding wounds.