A cut is an injury from which no one is immune - neither an adult nor a child. Most often, such a wound is received in everyday life, when working with a kitchen knife was not very careful. It is important to know what first aid should be for cuts so that the wound heals faster. After all, if you do not follow all the processing rules, there is a risk of developing an infection that requires long-term treatment.
Cut - what is it?
A cut means a violation of the integrity of the skin, but sometimes blood vessels and muscle tissue suffer. The reason is careless handling of sharp objects (knife, razor, glass containers, etc.). If the skin is slightly damaged, then special treatment is not required. First aid for a finger cut, when the wound is small, will consist of treating with an antiseptic and sticking a medical plaster.
But sometimes the wound is so deep that a sharp object even damages the tendons, ligaments. In such a case, the usualantiseptic treatment is not enough. The victim must be provided with qualified medical assistance using surgery.
Types of cuts
Depending on the subject that damaged the skin, it is customary in medicine to divide cuts into the following types:
- Stab cut. The most common cause of such an injury is careless handling of the sewing needle. It looks like a harmless object, but sometimes it penetrates very deeply and leaves behind a serious injury.
- Sliced cut. The reason is careless handling of sharp objects (glass, knife, blade, etc.). The wound looks narrow, but the length can be different. The depth of the cut depends on the degree of pressure of the object on the skin.
- Cut with torn edges. Serious injury resulting from a fall on a blunt object. Most often this applies to children who, while playing on the street, fall, while injuring their knees and elbows.
The cut can be combined. Such an injury can be obtained as a result of a fall, collision with glass. In this case, the wounds will be of varying severity.
Help the victim
First aid for cuts should be given immediately. Rinse the wound with water is the first thing to do. It is better if the water is boiled, but in extreme conditions, just pure water will do. Soak the cut with hydrogen peroxide. The wound should be well examined to assess the depth of damage. You should also check for foreign objects stuck in it (often happens after glass injury). Wet the cutwith a clean bandage or cotton to remove moisture.
Treat the edges of the wound with iodine, brilliant green, in no case allowing the product to get on the damaged tissue. Make a sterile bandage on top. Sometimes a small Band-Aid is sufficient (if the injury is minor).
When bleeding
If there is bleeding, then it must be stopped. When a finger or leg is injured, the limb should be raised slightly. This will stop the bleeding faster.
First aid for heavily bleeding cuts requires a lot of effort. To do this, you need to put good pressure on the wound, but at the same time applying a clean bandage on top. Press the gasket until the blood stops protruding strongly. But it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes.
Once the bleeding has stopped, put a sterile bandage over the cut. It should fit snugly against the body. If you can’t manage to stop the bleeding on your own, you should immediately seek medical help. The victim can be taken to the nearest trauma center. On the way, the wound should be covered with a clean cloth.
Important to know:
- do not use a bandage to wrap a wound to stop bleeding;
- if after bandaging the limb swells, it means that the bandage is very tight;
- if the cut was made with a very dirty or rusty object, then the trauma center should be contacted immediately to prevent the development of an infectious disease;
- if bleedingplentiful, blood pulsates or beats with a fountain, then you need to immediately call an ambulance team (before the arrival of doctors, apply a tourniquet above the wound and fix the time);
- when the blood is dark, flows slowly, but there is a lot of it, then you should not hesitate to call an ambulance either.
Urgent to the doctor
There are times when first aid for cuts requires immediate medical attention:
- If the bleeding does not stop after applying a pressure bandage.
- When the skin around the wound begins to go numb, cold, blue.
- If the cut was not made with a very clean object, or dirt got into the wound after injury.
- If the victim has diabetes or other serious problems with the immune system.
- The advanced age of the patient.
- When the injury is on the face, neck.
- If first aid for cuts at home was not correct, symptoms of an infectious disease appeared.
Suturing
Sometimes first aid for cuts requires stitches. The doctor assesses the degree of damage and decides what to do in this situation.
Sutures are applied in such cases:
- if the edges of the wound do not close;
- if the cut is too deep (more than 5mm) or too long (more than 20mm);
- if the edges of the wound are torn;
- if muscle tissue or bone can be seen through the wound.
How to speed up the healing of a cut?
If first aid for cutswas correct, the wound would heal quickly. But this process can be accelerated! To do this, you can use healing ointments, creams. They contain special substances (dexpanthenol, vitamin B) that accelerate regeneration. Antibiotic ointments are used to prevent infection. They are applied to the wound no later than 4 hours after injury.
Proper care of the affected area is the key to a quick recovery. You need to make regular dressings, carefully treat the cut, avoid getting dirt on this area of \u200b\u200bthe skin.
Better to prevent than to cure! This rule also applies to cuts. You need to be careful when working with sharp objects. After all, sometimes inattention is the reason for getting a cut wound. But if this happened, then first aid should be taken seriously. The state of he alth in the future depends on it.
