First Aid for Minor Cuts

[Rick]

The post about the Thousand Dollar Stitches got me thinking.....

How to save a Grand!!! See a private Doctor or urgent health care facility. Use crazy glue or see a Vet.


As far as dealing with the cut - my thoughts are basic - clean, then elevate the wound, apply pressure, take arnica (homeopathic). Use good common sense as you try to take care of it in the home.

Here is a link to what Merck says :

Injuries and Poisoning: First Aid:
Wounds

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec24/ch299/ch299f.html

Cuts or tears in tissue (lacerations), scrapes (abrasions), and puncture wounds can be caused by bites (see Bites and Stings: Introduction) or other injuries. Wounds that are not caused by bites and are not extensive usually heal rapidly without any problems. However, some wounds can cause extensive blood loss. In some wounds, deeper structures, such as nerves, tendons, or blood vessels, are also injured. Other wounds can become infected. A piece of foreign material (such as a splinter, glass, or a clothing fragment) can also remain hidden inside a puncture wound.
Shallow cuts to most areas of the skin rarely bleed much and often stop bleeding on their own. Cuts to the hand and scalp as well as cuts to arteries and larger veins often bleed vigorously.
Infection can develop when a wound is contaminated with dirt and bacteria. Although any wound can become infected, infection is particularly likely in deep scrapes, which grind dirt into the skin, and in puncture wounds, which introduce contamination deep under the skin. Also, wounds that contain foreign material almost always become infected. The longer a wound remains contaminated, the more likely it is that infection will develop.
Wounds can be painful at first, but usually the pain lessens after the first day. If a cut affects a nerve or tendon, the person may be unable to move the body part fully. Some nerve injuries cause weakness or paralysis, loss of sensation, or numbness. If foreign material remains inside a puncture wound, usually the part of the wound near the material is painful when touched.
Pain that worsens a day or more after the injury is often the first sign of infection. Later, an infected wound becomes red and swollen and may ooze pus. A fever may develop.
First-Aid Treatment
The first step in treating a cut is to stop the bleeding. Visible bleeding can almost always be stopped by firmly compressing the bleeding area with a finger or hand for at least 5 minutes. Whenever possible, the bleeding part is elevated above the level of the heart-for example, by raising a limb. Because tourniquets shut off all blood flow to a body part and deprive it of oxygen, they are used only for very severe injuries (such as combat casualties).
To prevent infection, dirt and particles are removed and the wound is washed. Large, visible particles are picked off. Smaller dirt and particles that cannot be seen are removed by washing with mild soap and tap water. Dirt and particles that remain after washing often can be removed with a more highly pressured stream of warm tap water. Harsher agents, such as alcohol, iodine, and peroxide, are not recommended. These solutions can damage tissue, impairing the capacity to heal. Scrubbing is required to clean deep scrapes. If a wound is very small, it can be kept closed with certain commercially available tapes. Stitches may be needed for deep or large cuts. After cleaning and, if necessary, closing the wound, antibiotic ointment and a bandage are applied.
Medical assistance is needed under the following circumstances:

• If a cut is longer than about 1/3 inch (¾ centimeter), is on the face, appears deep, or has edges that separate
• If bleeding does not stop on its own or within several minutes after pressure is applied
• If there are symptoms of a nerve or tendon injury, such as loss of sensation, loss of movement, or numbness
• If a scrape is deep or has dirt and particles that are difficult to remove
• If there is a puncture wound, particularly if foreign material in the wound is likely
• If the person has not had a tetanus vaccination within the past 5 years.

All wounds, whether treated at home or by health care practitioners, should be observed for symptoms of infection during the first several days after treatment. If any symptoms of infection develop, medical assistance should be sought within several hours. Most small wounds heal within a few days.

[MELOC]

when i nearly took the tip of a finger off with a broken bottle while digging the earth, i did the following. i promoted bleeding with pressure to help clear any dirt from inside the wound. i got to the kitchen and lightly washed with antibacterial soap and lukewarm water. i applied tea tree oil lightly to the cut and the skin around the cut after i patted it dry with paper towels. i bandaged the wound firmly and did not disturb it for 2-3 days. i made sure to keep it dry and not to bump it. i may have fashioned a splint...cannot remember. i lightly washed the wound again when i changed bandages the first time and used tea tree oil again. i kept it clean and dry and safe for several more days. the wound healed quickly and without leaving hardly any scar.

i could have used 3-5 stitches for sure. the cut was deep and went 2/3 to 3/4 of the way around my fingertip. i was able to keep the deep flap clean and i worked quickly to secure it with the bandage. i think using the tea tree oil allowed me to avoid changing bandages for the several days i figured i would need for the wound to heal without stitches. being careful not to disturb the healing wound helped greatly.

i would have gotten help if i had noticed any signs of infection. nothing happened, so i got lucky.

when i was a young teen, i went swimming with some older cousins who were drinking. one dived in to a creek from about 8 feet high and cut his arm deep when he hit a boulder in the water. i watched my sister in law stitch him up with a needle and thread. whiskey was used liberally to disinfect the wound and thread...and as an anesthetic...and the cause of the accident of course, lol. a multipurpose drug for sure. i think his gash was 2-3 inches long. that was 25-30 years ago. i will have to find him and check out his scar.

[Rick]

Good tips (not your fingers)...I use my blood to purge nasties from my cuts too. I'll have to try the tea tree oil. Comfrey has worked very well too.

I think cleaning the wound site, stopping the bleeding and bandaging properly are the key.

[Wolf mom]

Think you may need a stitch or four? Use butterfly bandages (steri strips). They'll hold the wound together nicely while it heals. You can bandage on top of them also to keep everything clean.

[pancho]

I use black electrical tape when I get cut. Just put a few wraps around the cut and forget about it. Later that night just peel the tape off.

[watcher]

As we have seen one man's (or woman's) minor wound is another's ER visit. I do know the wife told me I was not allowed to stitch up the kids. Dogs, cats, hogs, horses and the like were ok but not the kids. She even nixed my idea to buy one of those fancy people staplers, those look so COOL. Sorry got distracted.

Now let me say I'm not a doctor, never played a doctor on TV, never stayed in a Holiday Inn Express and the following should not be taken as medical advice but is presented for merely for your discussion and amusement.

Biggest mistake people make is not cleaning the wound. First and foremost as already said let it bleed. Heck MAKE it bleed if you have to by applying a little pressure. While its bleeding wash it, even if you can only flush it out with water. Then let it bleed some more (sometimes there's nasty things in water). After you have it clean then you can worry about stopping the bleeding. All of this is assuming the blood is dripping out not spraying every time your heart beats. Those type of wounds are when you call the bam-a-lance (Not necessarily family friendly but not nasty and it IS funny:

YouTube

.)

After cleaning the wound things go wonky depending on the wound. For most wounds you don't want to close all the way, you want to leave an opening to drain. But there are some you want to seal up tight. When in doubt leave a path for it to drain. The trick for wounds which docs would usually stitch is to use something which is going to be able to remain in place for several days. This is where suture tape is great. You DO have some in your first aid kit don't ya? If you clean and dry the skin around the wound properly they work as well as stitches even better in some cases (IMO) because they don't pull out if you move too much.

For smallish wounds in places where there's not much stress on the skin (say the forearm or leg) super glue will work but usually it will have to be reapplied and it does sting a might. It won't work anywhere the skin flexes much. FYI, if you stick yourself to something with super glue just gently move the stuck part back and forth and the bond will break.

One other thing. If you have service I recommend you keep a cell phone with you at all times. IIRC, even an old phone with no minutes or service plan can be used to call 911. Its like carrying a weapon, you may never need it but if you do need it you will need it RIGHT NOW.

Now I hope you go out there and never have to use any of the amusing things (other than the video link) posted above.

[Itilley]

Bag balm works great.

RenieB

[Minelson]

Rub some dirt on it!