First aid kit- cleaning wounds

[Sniper]

Flushing the wound with water is good for cleaning it but remember once the wound is clean, pat it dry and apply direct pressure with something clean, preferably a dressing of some sort and let the blood start to do it's thing in clotting and sealing to start the healing process.

 

[Cairodel]

for most non-puncture/non-burn wounds plain old soap and clean water is the way to go,then you can add your topical antisepic if you wish.... vince g. 1b inf

Please explain to those of us with no medical experience what a
non-puncture/non-burn wound might be.......????

 

[Sniper]

Please explain to those of us with no medical experience what a
non-puncture/non-burn wound might be.......????

Grazes, lacerations, incisions, severances, impalement, and such like. In other words anything other than a stab type wound or a burn or scald caused by heat, chemical, or radiation. Hope this explains or at least clarifies it better.

 

[11b inf]

ditto sniper that is correct,thanks....i just got my new computer online and having problems and could not answer promtly, i've been down for at least a few months getting caught up...also being a former Infantryman i carry afew field dressings in my jeep and thru-out my kit...i rather have a purpose made dressing handy than scramble to make something up during an emergency ...vince g.11b inf

 

[Sniper]

I generally carry a small FAK with me at all times, nothing much but enough to cope with the usuall day to day little accidents, but I usually have a much more complete kit in the car or in my rucky which will cope with even the worst possible emergencies.

 

[johnnytheboy]

Savlon do an antiseptic wash, they only rubbish thing is the bottle and lid are really fragile plastic, smashed the lid then the bottle, never got much use out of it

 

[JoyR]

Other options are chlorhexidine wipes, for cleaning the surrounding area as opposed to the wound itself, as chlorhexidine is an antiseptic. Saline or sterile water for the wound itself, every time!!

 

[Alex UK]

Savlon do an antiseptic wash, they only rubbish thing is the bottle and lid are really fragile plastic, smashed the lid then the bottle, never got much use out of it

Savlon is not to be advised - if nothing else it has loads of stuff in it and some people react badly to it. Why take another thing in your kit when water is better and you already have it with you?

Keep it simple...!

Alex

 

[Dano]

By which time I'd have bled to death...

If you were injured sufficiently to bleed to death and antiseptic wound wash is going to be the least of your problems

 

[Steve M]

Having had this whole "best chance of survival" thing drilled into me, I would generally be more inclined to stop severe bleeding before worrying about whether or not there's a bit of grit in there. If it's that bad, you're off to hospital anyway, so don't sweat the small stuff and make sure you, or they, don't bleed to death.

If it's "not that bad", then any of the above advise is good. The only thing wrong with boiling water is the amount of time it takes.

PS I think it would be useful to add our qualification when given this sort of advice so people can make informed decisions of their own. I'm gonna pop mine in my sig.

 

[Alex UK]

Having had this whole "best chance of survival" thing drilled into me, I would generally be more inclined to stop severe bleeding before worrying about whether or not there's a bit of grit in there. If it's that bad, you're off to hospital anyway, so don't sweat the small stuff and make sure you, or they, don't bleed to death.

Quite correct. If there is lots of blood then the blood will flush the grit out anyway.

The only thing wrong with boiling water is the amount of time it takes.

And please don't anyone take that too literally and use the water whilst it is still boiling...

PS I think it would be useful to add our qualification when given this sort of advice so people can make informed decisions of their own. I'm gonna pop mine in my sig.

Good idea. Please remember that most of the stuff written here is only opinion and not advice. Always check with an experienced HCP and get proper training. Never do something you have not been trained to do, or that you do not feel confident doing. Your home is at risk if you do not keep up payments on a... oops, sorry, got carried away!

Alex

P.S. I am always happy to offer advice and training to members, but that is only because I have the required quallifications / experience / insurance. If someone wants to ask something off forum, then feel free to PM me.

 

[Mastino]

Fresh urine is sterile........

If you do not have an urinary tract infection...

 

[Steve M]

Never do something you have not been trained to do, or that you do not feel confident doing.

This is paramount. If you balls up a tourniquet, for instance, you you can kill someone for more reasons than bleeding. Most importantly, don't take all the advise on the internet as gospel since there are numerous exceptions to rules and varying levels and styles (eg. FAW, RNLI, EMT, Nurse) of training will give different advise and the explanations people provide online will not always cover all of these.

I think if Alex, or any other first aid trainer is willing, we should organise a "first aid for bushcrafters" course as part of one of the weekends we have. Clearly Alex can't suggest that, so I'm going to

 

[Alex UK]

I think if Alex, or any other first aid trainer is willing, we should organise a "first aid for bushcrafters" course as part of one of the weekends we have. Clearly Alex can't suggest that, so I'm going to

I'd be happy to. I could also show you the 150+ injuries you can treat with just a triangular bandage! Most of it is confidence and having the ability to improvise with what you have. The more of you guys that can have some training the better it is for everyone.

Also if anyone in the South West ever wants to meet up for a drink, I'm sure I could be persuaded to go through some things with them!

Alex

 

[theotherphil]

Soap is naturally anti-bac so is perfect for cleaning wounds (and is probably something you'd want to carry anyway). I carry a couple of sachets of Tisepts (Chlorhexidine and Cetrimide) or Betidine spray.

--Phil, State Registered Paramedic

 

[Steve M]

Soap is naturally anti-bac

Are you sure? I thought it needed metals adding to become anti-bacterial.

 

[theotherphil]

Are you sure? I thought it needed metals adding to become anti-bacterial.

Anti-bac soap kills off the good bacteria as well as the bad. Have a check on google, there's loads of really interesting info on why anti-bac soap is bad. Here's a good article in laymans terms:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/antibacterial-soap-outlawed.htm


"What the researchers found is that there was no significant difference in the amount of bacteria killed by the use of antibacterial soap over regular soap."

&

"two years later, some of the same researchers from the 2005 study tried another study. Again, the researchers found that antibacterial soap showed no advantage over plain soap in its ability to kill bacteria. But they also collected data that suggested bacteria are indeed becoming increasingly cross-resistant as a result of antibacterial use."