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Primary wound care
Wounds in medicine are called mechanical damage to tissues, in which the skin or mucous membranes suffer. This distinguishes them, for example, from ruptures of internal organs. Wounds are the most common type of injury, and there are quite a few varieties of them:
- chipped;
- cut;
- torn;
- chopped;
- bitten;
- firearms;
- poisoned.
This is not the whole list of possible injuries that health workers constantly face.
Any open wound is a gateway for germs. They easily penetrate through it into the body and begin their subversive activity after 6-8 hours. Microbes multiply intensively and strive to penetrate into vessels, tissues and spread throughout the body. After about 12-24 hours, if the wound is not treated, the infection will go beyond it.
To prevent infection, you need to provide first aid to the victim. When injured, the main danger is bleeding, so it must be stopped immediately: press the vessel, apply a tourniquet or pressure bandage.
In parallel, it is important to protect the wound from dirt and infection. To do this, we first treat our own hands with an antiseptic, which is at hand, at least with soap and water. After that, dirt, scraps of clothing should be removed from the surface of the wound. This can be done with tweezers or gauze. The tweezers must first be disinfected, for example, with alcohol or vodka. Gauze for convenience can be twisted into a triangle to get a pointed end.
Once the wound is clean, it should be thoroughly washed. Suitable for this
- hydrogen peroxide;
- a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate (2-3 grains per glass of boiled water);
- chlorhexidine biglucanate.
If there are no suitable preparations at hand, they can be replaced with an aqueous 2% soda solution, a concentrated solution of common salt, and chamomile infusion. You can wash the wound with tap water, but this procedure will have to be carried out for a long time – at least half an hour.
If the wound appeared due to acid getting on the skin, then it should be washed with a soda solution (a tablespoon per glass of boiled water). If the wound appeared due to alkali, it should be washed with a weak solution of vinegar (a tablespoon in a glass of water).
The skin around the wound also needs to be treated. Ideally, apply a solution of iodine or brilliant green about 1,5-2 cm from its edges. A saturated solution of potassium permanganate or an alcohol-containing liquid will also work, but you need to be careful with them. Alcohol should not get into the cut.
For successful wound healing, a sterile pressure bandage must be applied to it. It will help stop bleeding, reduce swelling, and provide rest to the injured area.
If there is no bandage for this purpose, you can get by with a clean ironed non-synthetic matter. For small wounds, a band-aid will do.
If the wound is large and deep, it is better to take the victim to the hospital. Some damage cannot be repaired without surgery. Sometimes a person needs to have the pus removed, drained, or stitched.
Stages of wound healing
Physicians distinguish three stages of wound healing. They are tentatively called
- phase of inflammation;
- regeneration phase;
- and the phase of scarring and epithelialization.
At the first stage – in the phase of inflammation – the vessels in the wound area are activated, so the damaged area turns red. Leukocytes and other cellular elements responsible for the cleansing process are sent to the wound site.
In the first phase, there is also the absorption of toxins, bacteria and tissue decay products. If the wound is large and there is pus in it, then the absorption of toxins leads to intoxication of the body and fever develops.
At the second stage, so-called granulations begin to form – a tender connective tissue with new capillaries appears at the site of the wound.
The third phase involves the creation of a scar and epithelialization. At this time, the soft connective tissue is transformed into a dense scar, and epithelialization begins from the edges of the tissue.
How to speed up wound healing
— The rate of wound healing varies from person to person. It depends on age, metabolic state, wound size, care conditions, and even the time of year. For example, in winter, the metabolism in the body slows down, so wound healing in summer is faster than in winter, explains Aigul Kharisova, a therapist.
Wound healing occurs quickly if no infection has entered it, and also if its edges are in close contact. This is typical of small wounds or those that have had stitches.
To speed up wound healing, it must be protected from microbes and foreign bodies. To do this, change the bandage daily, preferably three times a day. At the same time, one should not forget about the precautions: wash your hands before bandaging and carefully remove the bandages in the direction of hair growth. If you notice that the skin has stuck to the gauze, dampen the dressing with sterile water or a mild saline solution. When the bandage gets wet, carefully remove it.
Do not pull or tug on the bandage as this may cause more bleeding.
In the first week, wet-drying dressings with antiseptic preparations are usually applied to the wounds, and then they move on to ointment dressings. The latter accelerate wound healing and protect it from microbes.
How to smear wounds at home
If the wound is small, you can speed up the healing process at home. Antiseptics for the treatment of primary dressings can be purchased at any pharmacy. When the first week has passed, you should resort to dressings with ointments. Typically, such ointments consist of antimicrobials and substances that accelerate wound healing.
Smearing wounds at home is usually advised with the following drugs:
- levomekol,
- levosin,
- methyluracil.
The doctor may prescribe a parallel intake of broad-spectrum antibiotics. They will become a kind of prevention for the occurrence of infection.
– Smearing wounds at home is a good tactic if the damage is minor, but if the wound is large, even if subjectively, it is better to see a doctor. Cuts larger than 1,5-2 cm in length will take a long time to heal on their own. The same goes for painful wounds or injuries that are accompanied by profuse bleeding. Suturing accelerates the healing of any wound. Medical care in these cases consists in treating the wound, excising (circumcision) its edges and suturing, – explains Aigul Kharisova, a therapist.