In the basic survival kit there are some items that are pretty much universally agreed upon. In a survival situation, you must rely on what you have on hand.
This is from memory of various First Aid classes I've attended over the years.
Don't take this as gospel! It's just a rough idea of what you'd be doing.
If you really want the 100% correct way to do things, take some First Aid classes, check with the local Red Cross they can point you in the right direction.
In order of severity:
small cut- (1 inch or less in length, no depth) Good old bandaid you keep in your field kit should do quite nicely!(sorry for stating the obvious and removing the McGyver factor).
medium cuts-(greater than 1 inch in length and/or some significant depth, maybe a puncture) apply pressure & elevate for a few minutes. check to see that bleeding stops. If no gauze, use a small piece of cloth (cut a small clean square out of shirt or something). Use that black electrical tape or Duct tape you have wrapped around your [insert favorite flashlite or film vial].
I swear by black electrical tape! Especially for fingers, knuckles, thumbs, etc. The flexibility of the electrical tape allows you to move that finger or thumb, while still keeping the wound closed. It's the main "cut closer" in my workshop.
"I don't have time to bleed"
Larger cuts , gashes, decent sized bleeders. These are usually accompanied by gasps, and someone saying "Oh that looks deep!" You can even end up with a second patient, upon seeing the wound, they faint and hit their head on a rock.
Elevate the body part, apply pressure, do not bandage until you think you see the bleeding starting to clot/subside , otherwise you may seal up an arterial bleed, and not know it right a way.
Once you see the bleeding curtailing, (if you don't have gauze) cut a larger piece of cloth, go for the duct tape you wrapped around your [insert favorite tubular item] to affix the dressing.
If it is a leg or an arm, do the "wrap around" , tie the cloth knot over the bleeder so that pressure from the knot will continue to work. If on the torso, use that duct tape and continue to apply pressure, until such time the patient can apply pressure on their own. Check it frequently, to make sure it doesn't start to flow again. If you carry sutures and also have a clue, throw a couple a butterflies in there to help it stay closed. If not, you can use Duct tape strips across the clean&dry gash, forming "X"s along it's length, with a little tension pulling the skin flaps together, then wrap with gauze, cloth, etc.
The Real Big stuff: Life threatening bleeds. Gunshot wound, 4 inch deep cut by a machete, deep animal bite, etc.
Elevate the part or the body.
If it's visibly squirting or flowing more as the heart beats, you have literally minutes or less to do something. Tourniquettes have a real bad reputation, but, for something this major, if it's on an arm and a leg, you may have to make that decision, but you are also making the decision for an amputation, most likely. in the case of a totally mangled foot, that is only hanging on by a peice of skin, the decision is made for you, otherwise, you will be forced to make the tough decision, especially if help is many hours or days away. Unless someone is an ex-corpsman, EMT, RN or MD, you are probably not going to have the training to find the "bleeder" and clamp it off. Looks easy on TV, but it's nothing for us novices who may have a First Aid Card as our main medical credentials. The victim is more likely to die while you futz around trying to pretend you stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
If it's not flowing or squirting as the heart beats, first be thankful, and quickly get some major pressure applied and keep elevated. Have someone cut and roll a piece of cloth into a fist sized piece, resembling a rolled up ace bandage, then apply it directly to the wound with plenty of pressure. it can take an hour for a big ol gash to slow or stop bleeding altogether. Take turns applying pressure if there are several people there. Later you can tie the roll in place, so that it still keeps pressure on the big ol gash.
These serious ones will also force the decision to send a runner, even if it's 10 miles to the nearest civilization, because it would be ill advised to try to walk the victim out any time soon.
OK, back to the run-o-the-mill minor cuts.
In a survival situation, I'd suggest the good old bandaid, followed by electrical tape if its a little too big for bandaid, or followed by duct tape.
Oh, and by the way, try to clean the wound, if at all possible.
Even if you simply rinse it with some clean water, it's better than leaving it dirty.
I can think of many other uses for SuperGlue, but in 99% of the cases, not when trying to close a wound in a survival situation.
Disclaimer: Go take a First Aid class, don't rely on my "off the cuff" descriptions, above. I was just trying to generally frame-up the types of things you could be faced with and the general way they would be dealt with in a survival situation. All cases are unique, and require their own course of action.
I use duct tape and black electrical tape.
