First-Aid for cuts/slashes?

I often use Superglue when boxing. I find it especially effective if you can get it on the sole of your opponents shoes.
 
When you ARE going to cut yourself, chances are you are going to be out in the wild, on a body of water, or somewhere where appropriate medical intervention with all the right tools and the HANDS that know EXACTLY what to do do make things the best they can be for healing won't be your companion.
Yeah, Rambo and the gunpowder trick. Gunpowder is a filthy dirty medium for the HUMAN body to work with. The concept to "cauterize" the "bleeders" deep inside the wound is sound, but gunpowder really is NOT KEWL. Today, for those NOT faint of heart, you can ask a Surgeon friend to get you one of those cute, white disposable battery "cauterizers" they use in the OR. Some get used for two-seconds to stop bleeding, then get thrown away since YOU bear the full cost. There is more than ample life left to stick in a field kit. (They also make awesome tools for intricate solders [flux and stuff])Most have a lithium battery so shelf life is NOT an issue.
Grab a Paramedic and have him teach you how to suture. Nothing like an EXPERT, but just good enough to hold UNTIL you present at an ER. Suture kits are easy to come by. What size suture and what is the Best material is beyond my expertise to post, ask a person with the knowledge. For Field use, ANYTHING is better than NOTHING. A syringe is now an OTC product. No Prescription needed. if you have a REAL family Doctor, we all KNOW the kind I mean, ask him/her about "field closing of a deep laceration". If the Doctor is a REAL HUMAN, you can borrow some lidocaine and/or some Marcaine.
Now, throw it in your Tackle box, Field pack, your whatever that always goes when you go far away from the Human RACE:D It just MIGHT save a life, it may not look pretty, but it WILL give you more of that GOLDEN HOUR. So EMS types out there, CORRECT this and neaten it up!!!!!!;) ;) ;) wolf
 
Found this on the web somewhere:

"Any light bleeding is stopped with a wand-like instrument called a "cauterizer" that uses an electric current to seal the ends of bleeding blood vessels. So that you do not feel any electric shock from the cauterizer, your doctor will have attached a plastic pad to your leg, back, or abdomen that works to ground the current."

You can get an electric shock from it!?

YC
 
I guess I'm gonna wade in on this one...

First: The Three Laws of Pre-hospital Care
1. All bleeding eventually stops.
2. All patients eventually die.
3. If you drop the baby, pick it up!

Now, on to wound care.

The Boy Scouts really did have it right: Direct pressure, elevation, etc, is still the mainstay of bleeding control.

There are a zillion bandages out there, from Maxipads (which do work great!) to Special trauma dressings. Bottom line, if your cut needs those, you probably need a doctor!

For your run of the mill, "I got careless (silly, or stupid) with my sharp toy" cuts, almost any tight bandage will seal em up.

"Dermabond" is the 3M trade name for surgical glue used to seal wounds. It is a far less toxic cousin to super glue. It is great stuff, but expensive, requires a prescription, and a bit of expertice to use (I will admit to having glued myself to a couple of patients before I got the hang of it :rolleyes:)

I have used superglue in a pinch, but it really doesn't hold as well. Nonetheless, If you do use it, use several light coats over the wound rather than trying to goop up the wound. Additionally, don't try to fill in the wound with either agent, rather, seal over the wound with the wound edges jointed together (I'll lapse into doctor-speak for a moment: Approximate the wound edges first)

Another alternative (which I prefer to dermabond or superglue) is good old fashioned tinture of Benzoin and Steri-strips. Benzoin is a great adhesive, and protects the skin. Steri-strips are a modern replacement for what grandma used to call butterfly bandages. These will close alot of wounds without the risk of problems of a "Rambo" suture job.


Finally, though neomycin allergies are out there, I've never seen one in the field or in the Emergency room... Also please clean and wash out the wound thoroughly before you close it up by any method. Wound infections ain't sexy.

Did I forget to mention Tetanus? An ugly, preventable death! Vaccinate!
 
What's all this garbage about cauterizing and superglue? Here's all you need to know:

Step One: Before doing anything else, wipe the blood off your knife. The most important thing here is that your expensive blade not rust. If no arterial spurts emanate from the wound, take the time to go find your Tuff-Cloth and wipe the blade down.

Step Two: Now that your knife is in good shape, scream "Oh Sh**!" at the top of your lungs. This strategy will attract attention and possibly alert a passerby with actual medical knowledge.

Step Three: If no one comes to your aid, bleed like a man. No sniveling. No calling your moma. Remember the old folkwisdom: If the wound bleeds well, there's less chance of infection. Of course, these are the same "folks" who used leeches and swamp potions, so take this advice for what it's worth.

Step Four: Remove the dusty, snot-encrusted handkerchief from your back pocket and tie it onto the wound. If the cut is in a strange place, find some duct tape (aka "100 mph tape") and tape down the hanky.

Step Five: Remember, no sniveling.

Step Six: Stumble to the nearest bar, and have three shots of tequila in quick succession. With so little blood left in your body, this should be enough to put you out like a light.

Step Seven: Wake up in alley behind bar, realize your wallet is gone, and pray that you haven't been violated.

Step Eight: Check your wound. It should have a nice crusty scab enmeshed in the hankerchief. Rip the hanky from the wound in a quick motion so as to avoid prolonging the pain. Go back to step two.
 
3M Micropore tape works well for me on cuts.
A few weeks ago I cut my finger tip rather badly, perhaps my worst cut yet. Lots of blood. Since I was at home, after the initial shock, I took my handy roll of Micropore tape and wrapped it around my finger to close up the wound and stop the bleeding. It worked great, as it has in the past. I changed the tape once in a while and the wound healed just fine. I have medical insurance, so going to a doctor or emergency is not a financial concern, but I try to stay away as best I can.
3M Micropore surgical tape is a paper tape with a gentle adhesive on it. The tape is somewhat permeable to moisture, allowing moisture to evaporate and the skin to breath. It also wraps well around difficult contours, such as a finger tip. There are other similar brands of paper tape available as well. This stuff is great, cheap, works well for cuts and cracks, and is readily available in drug stores.
 
Informative post Knife Doctor...thanks!!



"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
I`ll pass along a recent experience,I`m not saying it`s the right thing to do but it`s what I did. I was trimming the bottom of a door (off the hinges) with my brand new super duper laser cut toothed handsaw when I carelessly let the blade slip off and "nick" my left index finger. It hardly hurt and I just moved my hand and kept on sawing..until I saw the blood...LOTS of blood. Hmmm,looked at it...hmmm seems I cut it all the way across,down to the bone (but not into it) along the side between the palm and first knuckle. What a good sharp saw! The cut was also about 1/8 or more wide (due to the saw`s staggered teeth) and very ragged. Well,I hate hospitals,have lousy insurance and the finger still had feeling and worked okay so I cleaned it,wrapped it up in a piece of paper towel and masking tape and drove to the drug store. I picked up some "Liquid Bandage" and some new antiseptic "advanced healing" bandaids. The Liquid Bandage actually amounts to being clean nail polish,which I hear works just as well. I cleaned the cut again,held it shut and applied the LB except for the one end (so it could drain if need be), covered it with a bandaid then wrapped it with masking tape again in an effort to help hold it closed. I reapplied this mess once a week for about a month. It`s all healed up now and works as good as ever. Of course it scarred some but not too bad. This said I realize now I should have just gone to the ER. Marcus
 
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