Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

7 Bleeding, Wound Care and Trauma

Open Wounds and Precautions Before providing first aid for a patient with an open wound, you must protect yourself with standard precautions. Wear gloves and eyewear and if needed, a gown and mask. Remember you must first and always ensure an open airway and breathing. If life threatening bleeding is observed, have the patient, a bystander, other aider, or yourself apply direct pressure over the wound to control bleeding. Assess the location and severity of the wound. If the wound is to the chest or abdomen, place an occlusive, air tight, dressing on the wound. Priorities are scene safety, the primary assessment, and treating life threats. This includes controlling bleeding that can be severe and extensive. There are several ways for a first aider to control open injuries and external bleeding.

Types of Wounds Wounds can be caused by several mechanisms of injury. Wounds occur when there is a break in the surface of the skin and external bleeding results. We examine the types of wounds you may encounter when rendering first aid on the next page.

Abrasion to the skin wound

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