Bandages And Techniques Flashcards
What’s a wound ? What are the different type of wounds and their characteristics ?
Wounds are disruption of the skin in the natural tissue structure.
External wound : skin is no longer intact
Internal wound / blunt trauma : involve tissue beneath the skin.
Of what is composed a wound dressing ?
1 : moisture-permeable layer which cover the wound, it must be antiseptic and sterile
2 : absorbent core to absorb fluid (blood and pus)
3 : moisture impermeable fixing layer
What is a compressing dressing made of ?
1 : wound dressing layer (could be a sterile absorbent gauze / emergency bandage / absorbent wound dressing)
2 : absorbent layer (if not already present)
3 : compression layer (hard object of the same size as the external wound on top)
4 : fixing layer (non-elastic bandage)
In which case do you use a wound compressing dressing ?
Used for external wound with arterial or venous bleeding.
For what and how do you use a compression bandage ?
It is used in case of internal wound to prevent swelling.
You tightly apply a roller bandage around the body part involved and place a pressure distributive layer between the bandage and the skin.
Why do you use a support and immobilisation bandage ? What are the main type of those bandages.
To provide support, limit the movement of the part of the body involved and prevent further injuries.
The sling, the cravat.
What is a sling and in which case do you use it ?
It is a triangle of cloth supporting the forearm.
You apply it when the injury involve the soft tissue of the upper arm, forearm and hand or fracture of the forearm and hand.
You don’t use for any injury of the shoulder girdle or suspected fracture of the upper arm. Because it will put too much pressure on them making the injury worse.
When do you use an elevated sling ?
It is used for secondary aid while dealing with an internal or external bleeding in the forearm or the hand.
When do you apply a cravat ?
When suspected fractures in the upper arm and shoulder girdle, dislocation of the shoulder girdle or injury involving the elbow joint.
How do you recognise a capillary bleeding ?
Also called abrasive injury. It bleed a minimum amont of blood and the body quickly stop the bleeding.
How do you recognise a arterial bleeding ?
The blood will spays out of the wounds in spurt because of the high pressure in the arteries and the beating heart giving spurt a rhythm.
A significant amount of blood will be lost in a few minutes except if the artery is severed in which case the bleeding will be light.
How to recognise venous bleeding ?
The blood will flows weakly out of the wound without spurting except in varicose veins (because they are highly dilated and accumulate large amount of blood therefore have a high pressure).
Beware because venous bleeding can result in air embolism because of the suction from the heart.
How will the body handle the damage to blood vessels on its own ?
The damages blood vessels will constrict reducing the blood supply. The blood pressure will drop because of the change in ratio between blood volume and vascular volume improving condition for a blood clot to be created to seal the hole.
If the vessel is completely severed, the 2nd inner layer of the vessel will retract forming a small structure covering the end of the ruptured vessels.
What are the first aid measure for capillary bleeding ?
Cleaning and dressing the wound. The body can control the bleeding on its own.
What are the step in first aid of an arterial bleeding ?
1 : Elevate the wound above the heart and avoid muscle activity.
2 : Interrupt blood supply by exerting pressure proximal side of the artery
3 : Apply a compression bandage once you’ve stopped the bleeding
4 : Transport the victim to the hospital to close the wound
