Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

7 Bleeding, Wound Care and Trauma

Contusions (bruises) are closed wounds usually caused by blunt trauma, i.e. a blow, fall, or crushing injury. Although the skin does not break there is damage to the soft tissue underneath the skin. This damage causes bleeding into the surrounding tissue, causing discolouration, swelling, and bruising. This can be a sign of a deeper injury and a severe internal bleed. Closed wounds are at a low risk for infection. Abrasions (scrapes) are open wounds where the outer layer of skin has been scraped away but deeper layers are intact. Small blood vessels (capillaries) are damaged and though painful, do not bleed very much i.e. scratches, a ‘skinned’ knee or elbow or ‘road rash’. Abrasions can be very dirty and are at high risk for infection. Incisions are cuts in the skin. They can be shallow, affecting only the capillaries, or they may be deep, causing damage to arteries, veins, and organs. An incision is caused by something thin and sharp, such as a knife, and the edges of the wound are straight. Incisions are usually much cleaner than an abrasion but there may be debris in the wound such as fragments of metal or glass.

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