nursing foundation -first aid

3. DEFINITION

4. A wound is defined as a separation or
discontinuity of the skin, tissue, mucous
membrane caused by physical, chemical or
biological insult.

5. TYPES OF WOUND

6. Lacerated
wound
WOUND
Open Closed
Bruises Internal
bleeding
Incised
wound
Avulsions
Contused
wound
Punctured
wound
Abrasions
Penetrating
wounds
Perforating
wound

7. Open wound:-Open wound allow blood to
escape from the body. Skin is broken.
Closed wound:- Closed wounds allow
blood to escape from the
circulatory system but not
from the body.
Skin is not broken.

8. Bruises/Contusion:-
A bruise or contusion, is skin discoloration from a
skin or tissue injury.
They marked by local pain and swelling.
This injury damages blood vessels underneath the
skin, causing them to leak.

9. When blood pools under the skin,
it causes black, blue(ecchymosis),
purple, brown or yellow
discolouration.
There is no external bleeding
unless the skin breaks open.
If large vessels have been torn
beneath the bruised area
hematoma will develop.
A hematoma
is defined as a
solid swelling
of clotted
blood within
the body's
tissues..

10. Internal bleeding:-
In this, the blood is lost from circulatory
system.
Blood collects in one of the body cavities and
remains concealed.
It may reveal by a flow of blood from one or
more of the various openings such as mouth,
nose, ear or rectum.

11. Incised wound:-
These are sharp even cuts that tend to bleed
freely.
They are caused by sharp objects like knife,
blade .

12. Avulsion:-
An avulsion involves the tearing loose of a
flap of skin, which may either remain hanging or
be torn off altogether.

13. Lacerated wound:-
It is a cut caused by
a sharp uneven
instrument
eg:- broken glass
bottle

14. Punctured wound:-
It is an injury caused by a pointed object.
The object puncturing the body will tear the skin and
proceed in a straight line damaging all the tissues .
Punctured wound can be a penetrating wound or a
perforating wound.
In penetrating wound the wound is seen and may be
shallow or deep and cause internal and external
bleeding.

15. Perforating wound is seen with gunshot wound.
Internal organ, tissues, and blood vessels may be
damaged during the passage of the bullet through the
body.
It may cause internal and external bleeding.

16. Abrasion:-
It is a superficial wound caused by rubbing or scraping
results in partial loss of skin surface.

17. MINOR WOUND
Minor wounds cause minimal bleeding
and can be easily controlled by the application of
pressure and elevation.
A small pressure dressing is normally adequate.
If bleeding does not stop, seek medical aid.

18. First aid in minor wounds
Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
Avoid touching the wound with your bare hands.
Use gloves if possible.
Do not sneeze, cough, or talk over the wound.
If the wound is dirty with mud or dust clean it by
rinsing lightly under running water.
Dry with a sterile swab and temporarily cover the
wound with sterile gauze and place it with adhesive
plaster.
Clean the skin around it with soap and water.

20. Large foreign bodies such as metal or small pieces
of glass, if projecting from wound, may be gently
removed.
If such items remain in a wound, they may cause
infection or delayed healing.
If the foreign body deeply embedded or if there is
any difficulty in removing it, leave it alone and place
a dressing over it and send the victim to a doctor.

21. Major wound
Major wound like chest wounds, wounds to the
abdomen, eye wound etc may not bleed profusely but
may cause serious internal damage.

22. CHEST WOUND:-
With in the chest cavity, vital organs like the heart,
lung, and major blood vessels around them.
A penetrating chest wound may cause severe internal
damage.
If lung injury occurred, air may enter the pleural
space and exert pressure on the lungs, and results in
the collapse of the lung.

23. MANIFESTATION
Signs of shock
Breathing difficulty
Pain
Frothy blood on coughing
Nails and skin appear blue
Blood bubbles out of the wound.

24. FIRST AID
Cover the open wound with the palm of your hand,
then apply a dressing pad over the wound and keep it
in position by plaster wrap. Make sure that it is air
tight.
Support the victim who is conscious in a
comfortable position.
If the victim is unconscious place him in a recovery
position.
Arrange stretcher for transportation to the hospital.

25. ABDOMINAL WOUND
Wound that penetrate the abdominal wall may cause
damage to the stomach or bowels.
Position the victim in such a position that the wound
does not gape.
Eg:- In case of a horizontal wound, place him in his
back with head and shoulders raised and a pillow
under his knees.

26. First aid
Do not give any thing to eat or drink
If the intestine has come out, cover with clean
pads.
Place the victim on absolute bed rest and
transport them to the hospital.
If there is an evisceration of abdominal
organs it must be kept moist to prevent
drying and necrosis.

27. EYE INJURIES
•All eye injuries are potentially serious because of
the risk to the casualty’s vision.
•It may occur with a bit of dust or speck of
material which may lodge on the eye surface.
•Do not rub the eyes.
•Wash hand thoroughly before examining the eye.
•A sterile pad may be applied to the affected eye
and secure in place with a bandage and send the
victim to the hospital.
•In case of falling of chemical or hot oil or
floating grit, irrigate the eye with water.
•Do not irrigate an eye with a wound or a foreign
body lodged to the eyeball.

28. AMPUTATION
An injury may cause a body part to be partially or
completely severed.
A limb that has been partially or completely severed
can be reattached by microsurgery.
Aim
•To minimize blood loss or shock
•To arrange for immediate transportation to the
hospital

29. First aid
Control blood loss by applying pressure and raising
the injured part.
Apply dressing over the injured part and secured it
with a bandage.
Treat the victim for shock
Transfer to the hospital immediately.

30. Care of amputated part
Aim:-to restore the functions of the amputated part.
*Caution
*Do not wash the severed part
*Do not allow the severed part to come into direct
contact with ice
*Put on gloves and wrap the severed part in a plastic
bag.
*Wrap the package with gauze or a soft cloth and
place it in a container full of crushed ice.
*Mark the container with the time of injury and the
victim’s name and hand it over to the concerned
doctor in the emergency department of the hospital.