How to dress a wound

1. Stop the bleeding

A little bleeding is OK; it helps flush dirt and anything else out of the wound. However you need to control bleeding.

If there is squirting or bright red blood or bleeding that doesnt stop you need to get emergency help or to hospital. Likewise deep puncture wounds on the head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, or back then you need to get to hospital.

2. Cleaning the wound

Clean the wound with running water or saline solution; a little soap is good, too. Wash the skin around the injury with soap. Don’t worry if soap gets into the wound, although it may sting and irritate the raw tissue. Rinse the wound thoroughly to remove any dirt and soap. Use tweezers to remove dirt or debris. If you can’t get the wound clean, then forget the next step, just get to a hospital.

3. Covering the wound

Only cover the wound if it is likely to come in contact with clothing (and rub) or dirt. Cuts less than an inch long can be held closed with butterfly plasters (thin strips of adhesive bandage). If the edges of a laceration are not easily pulled together, then the wound will probably need stitches. Adhesive plasters or bandages are the easiest way to cover most minor cuts.

4. Dressing the Wound

Finally, dress the wound. Apply the area with antibacterial ointment. Cover the wound with a gauze pad taped into place. Change that dressing every 12 hours, checking carefully for signs of infection. Better yet, get to a hospital.

Deep lacerations that extend into the tissues below the skin are likely to be more serious. If you can see layers of tissue along the sides of the laceration, it is a deep wound and you should consider medical help. Puncture wounds are harder to evaluate, and again depending on how deep the puncture is you should seek medical help. Seek medical attention for a deep wound if it has been more than five years since the victim had a tetanus shot or of the wound is producing pus (thick yellow coloured liquid).

If you are at all unsure seek medical help.