Which of us hasn't fallen and injured his arm or leg? When we broke a knee, my mother smeared it with brilliant green for us and covered it with a band-aid. But what if the damage is more serious? How to stop the bleeding? How to provide emergency assistance to a person on the verge of death? Everyone should know the answers to these and other questions. Therefore, we will consider what wounds are and how to help a person cope with injuries.
What is a wound
A wound is a violation of the integrity of an organ or tissue as a result of a mechanical factor, accompanied by bleeding, pain or dehiscence.
Wounds can occur for absolutely different reasons. Some appear as a result of a random combination of circumstances, others - after surgery, others - as a result of the actions of people around them. The classification is very broad. Consider what wounds are.
Types of wounds
In relation to the human body:
- Penetrating - wounds that go inside the body and cause damage to internal organs. This condition is very dangerous, because it is not visible from the outside what degree of damage. Internal bleeding without emergency treatment can lead to death.
- Non-penetrating.
What are the wounds according to the circumstances of receipt:
- random;
- operating.
Often, an infection begins to develop at the site of injury. Depending on the degree of sepsis, they distinguish:
- purulent wounds;
- contaminated - random but no signs of suppuration;
- aseptic - after surgery using antibacterial agents.
The largest classification group differs in the mechanism of application and the type of injuring object:
- stab;
- cut;
- chopped;
- bruised;
- torn;
- bitten;
- scalped;
- gunshots.
For the first time we come across the concept of first aid in the lessons of life safety. What are the wounds, their features and the nature of the damage, we will consider in more detail.
Incised wounds
The reason for their occurrence is the impact of a sharp object on a skin area. It can be anything: a piece of glass, metal, a razor or other household items. You can even get hurt with paper. Under high pressure, mechanical damage separates the tissues into two halves. The peculiarity is that the area of the wound itself is small, but may be different.depth.
The pain is not severe, but there may be profuse bleeding if the injury has damaged major blood vessels. An object that damaged the tissue, or its particles, may remain in the wound. In this case, it will be easy to take it out. With this type of injury, rupture of muscles, tendons, and nerve endings is not ruled out. If a sharp object has gone very deep, you will have to suture. In cases of minor injuries, the wound will heal itself.
Stab wounds
Returning to the question of what kind of wounds are (in the 5th grade on OBZh this topic is given special attention), you need to know that stab injuries are isolated separately. They differ in that the blow is applied with a sharp long object, with deep penetration. These items include: knife, knitting needle, awl, sharpening, bayonet, sword. The main feature is damage to internal tissues, possibly organs. A wound of this type has a small inlet, but it is very difficult to predict which organ is damaged inside. If the blow was delivered to the heart, sudden death may occur. Therefore, if the item remains inside the wound, it is better not to remove it until the ambulance arrives.
Stab injuries have complications. The inlet closes very quickly, because it is narrow, and favorable conditions are created inside for the development of infection. The next stage - pus spreads throughout the body, general sepsis can begin with intoxication and high fever. In addition, without urgent assistance, bleeding and hematomas of internal organs can lead to sad consequences, up toto death.
Slashed wounds
We have already considered what kind of wounds a person has depending on the subject of damage: stab and cut. But there is a third type - chopped. In this case, the blow is applied with a sharp heavy object with great force in a perpendicular direction or at an angle to the tissues. It can be: an ax, a checker, a saber, a sword.
Characteristic features are: deep penetration, large area of damage, contusion of nearby tissues. The wound is accompanied by severe pain, profuse bleeding, internal and external hematomas. Vessels, nerves, bones, internal organs can be damaged.
Bruised wounds
We continue to consider what wounds are. Another type is bruises. They occur as a result of the impact of a blunt hard object on tissues in those places where there is a solid support in the form of bones. This type of damage is very common in everyday life. Anything can fall on your foot: a chair, a magnet, a hammer, a saucepan.
Often bruised wounds are not accompanied by external injuries. The skin remains intact, but there may be internal ruptures of muscles, tendons, blood vessels, and nerve endings. Bruises are characterized by the presence of hematomas.
If the blow was so strong that it damaged the skin, then the edges of the wound will be uneven, they will become saturated with blood and lose their vitality, which leads to necrosis. There is a very strong pain syndrome. The person may even lose consciousness. This type of wound is characterized by damage to the bones, their crushing.
Jagged wounds
About what types of wounds are, a lot is written in medical reference books. But not all sources distinguish lacerations into a separate group. This type of injury is somewhat similar to a bruise, but on a more serious scale. Most often occurs as a result of a sharp blow with a heavy sharp object, during accidents, collisions, accidents.
Rupture wounds are characterized by extensive damage to the skin, torn joints, muscles, blood vessels. Possible damage to the integrity of the bone. Such an injury is accompanied by heavy bleeding, pain, dark brown clots accumulate in the wound.
If you are interested in what color is the ichor from the wound, then it is usually transparent with a yellowish tint. When combined with blood cells, the clots become burgundy or dark brown. With severe wounds, a lot of ichor is released.
Bite wounds
As the name implies, they result from the bite of animals or humans. But unlike all other types of wounds, the danger of these lies in the fact that there is a high probability of contracting dangerous diseases or dying from poison.
The damage area is small. But due to the fact that the skin is affected by dangerous microflora, local or general complications often occur.
Dangerous bites of squirrels, rats, mice. They are carriers of "rat disease" (sodoku). From dogs, foxes, you can catch rabies.
Poisoned Wounds
Develop as a result of the bite of poisonous insects or creeping reptiles. A poisonous substance enters the human body, whichspreads in the blood and blocks the work of many organs and systems, leads to severe neurological diseases or is the cause of death.
The most poisonous snakes: viper, rattlesnake, cobra, cottonmouth.
The most dangerous insects: rat fleas, fire ants, encephalitis mites, brown recluse spider, tsetse fly.
First aid for a snakebite is as follows:
1. Set aside panic and lay the victim on the ground. Put something soft under your head. Horizontal position will slow down the distribution of the poison.
2. If it is not known exactly what kind of snake has bitten, you need to observe the victim. The absence of swelling, pain suggests that the animal was not poisonous. If it is known that the victim is in mortal danger, because the snake was poisonous, the following actions should be taken immediately.
3. Place a tourniquet above the bite to prevent the venom from spreading through the bloodstream.
4. Start sucking the poison out of the wound. This can be done if there is no mucosal damage in the rescuer's mouth.
5. Give a lot to drink before the ambulance arrives.
Gunshot wounds
We looked at what wounds are as a result of exposure to various objects. But there is another type - gunshot wounds that occur at the moment when a person is shot from a firearm. Such wounds damage tissues, go far inside or penetrate through. They take a very long time to heal and have severe complications.
Features of gunshot wounds:
- nerve endings, muscles, blood vessels are damaged;
- accompanied by fractures of bones, torso, head;
- disrupted functioning of internal organs: lungs, liver, spleen;
- Possibly fatal in most cases.
Gunshot wounds are subdivided according to the nature of penetration into:
- blind - the bullet remains inside the body;
- through - the bullet passes through;
- tangential - the bullet only partially touches the skin without getting inside.
First Aid
What are the wounds, we told in detail, it's time to move on to the question of how to help the victim.
Before providing emergency care, you need to determine the type of injury. But there are special recommendations that you need to know and apply in any case.
1. Stop the bleeding. If the blood does not fountain with great force, then it is venous or capillary. Apply a tight bandage. Otherwise, arterial bleeding is observed, which can be stopped by applying a tourniquet above the damaged area.
2. The wound is treated with 3% hydrogen peroxide, the skin around it - with any antiseptic.
3. For bruises, apply ice immediately if possible.
Absolutely not:
1. Flush the wound with water.
2. Fill with brilliant green, iodine or other means.
3. Remove stuck drum parts by yourselfitem or bone fragments.
4. Apply cotton, ointments, powders.
5. If the abdomen is injured, the victim should not be given to drink.
If the victim has lost consciousness, try to bring him to his senses. You need to constantly talk to him, keep in touch.
In a panic, remember to call an ambulance immediately after the incident. If you wait too long for a car, you should try to transport the victim yourself, giving him a comfortable sitting or lying position.
