treating wounds in the woods - question.

S

Scooter

Joined
Jul 13, 1999
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103
Due to stupidity on my part, I gave myself a deep gash of a wound to my hand and it got me thinking about how to deal with such a thing in the wilderness.

In my case, due to the severity of the wound, it was recommended that an antispetic be used to prevent infection.

As drug stores seem to be few and far between in the woods, other than trying to keep a wound clean with water (best bet from a clean flowing source??), what other options are there?

Does anyone know of plants/bugs that could help heal a wound, keep infection at bay?

What about mud?

Most of the terrain I would encounter would be in the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountains.

If mud is something that can be used in my locations, could it be used in places like the jungle? (I was thinking that parisites would be a much larger problem).

Thanks

Darren
 
Wound care in the wilderness is important especially if medical care will be delayed.

I would use some of my purified drinking water (or purify some if I didn't have any handy), and an antibacterial soap (like Dial hand soap that comes in the pump dispenser), to thoroughly cleanse the wound.

Another alternative would be to use the 10% Betadine (r) solution (NOT SCRUB, as the primary use for this stuff is water purification, 10 drops per liter, and you don't want soap in your drinking water). The scrub would be appropriate for wound cleansing; I just wanted it made clear that that is ALL it is good for. The solution will also purify water.

After you have cleaned it thoroughly, to remove any foreign debris, close the wound edges, if necessary, with steri-strips or paper tape (Micropore (r)), and cover with a sterile dressing. Splint if the lac. is over a joint and would be popping open with use of the hand. Change sterile dressing daily, but leave the paper tape or steri-strips alone unless they have become unstuck, in which case, remove and apply new ones.

Putting mud in a wound is an excellent manner in which to introduce Pseudomonas, Clostridia (gas gangrene and tetanus), and other harmful microorganisms. The whole idea of wound cleansing is to get the mud OUT of the wound.

Unless the lac is superficial and minor, then immediate travel to nearest medical facility is mandatory.

If you get foul smelling pus coming out of the wound, severe pain with motion, more than very minor swelling, a red streak going up the arm, or an otherwise unexplained fever, you should start your oral antibiotics you took with you. A first generation cephalosporin (Keflex (r)) would be ideal. If the wound is severely infected, an IM injection of a third generation cephalosporin (Rocephin (r)) would be great if you have it.

Remember the cardinal rule of the ER doc; a minor hand wound is one on someone else's hand. Be very careful with hand lacs, as they all look alike, and are prone to infections.

Walt Welch MD
 
Walts got your medicine all right!

For plant-type treatments, there are a few things worth soemthing, but I would never advise using plants instead of available medical supplies, and I would never advise using plants as an alternative to leaving the woods and seeing a doc. That said, here's some things I have used to some success, and some I've heard work, but never had the need/oppurtunity to use.

Yarrow works reasonably well as a topical anesthetic. Use for bug bites primarily, could be used for toothaches. Do not swallow, it also is good for creating constipation.

Mullen can work for slight stuffed sinuses, a tea of the leaves or the flowers. I've been told smoking it will enhance the effects (Like tobacco, not like smoking meat). I do not choose to treat symptoms occuring in my respiratory tract by inhaling pollutants. I've been told that mullen poultices are good for minor wounds. I would try it if I had no other available means of treatment.

If you have access to NON-organic mud it can be effective as a wound poultice. I have used it with success to relieve bug bite irritations. I would not try it on open wounds unless no other means were available. It is good for minor skin irritations, and can also be effective for poison ivy. It does not cure, it just helps the symptoms.


Willow leaves contain Aspirin, and can be used for pain and fever.

Many other plants are around that may or may not heal odd and assorted ailments. Tom Brown has a rather liberal (IMHO) view on the capabilities of plants, but is a good place to start (His guide to medicinal and edible plants).

Eat and treat safely!

Stryver
 
Scooter,

You can use Yarrow found in field and such to help the wound. The latin name is Achillea Millefolium, hence Achilles, healing. The purple root will numb the pain when rubbed on the wound. A friend of mine in England used Plantain, the "weed", not the banana, on a cut. He merely crushed the leaves and placed them on, then a bandage. He said it helped to heal the wound and prevent scarring. If you are in the NW, in BC then you should be able to find Yarrow as I saw plenty south of the border, in Eastern Washington. Take care and stay woundless.

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Yol bolsun,
Jamie
 
Scooter,

You can use Yarrow found in field and such to help the wound. The latin name is Achillea Millefolium, hence Achilles, healing. The purple root will numb the pain when rubbed on the wound. A friend of mine in England used Plantain, the "weed", not the banana, on a cut. He merely crushed the leaves and placed them on, then a bandage. He said it helped to heal the wound and prevent scarring. If you are in the NW, in BC then you should be able to find Yarrow as I saw plenty south of the border, in Eastern Washington. Take care and stay woundless.

------------------
Yol bolsun,
Jamie
 
Thanks Guys,

Looks like my already giant size first aid kit is going to be getting larger...

Darren
 
Scooter you have my sympathy, I went through this a couple months ago with my right index finger. Tried har dto perform self-amputation. I know how hard it makes doing everyday things. Keeping it clean and well bandaged, and if on a joint, immobile is a must like everyone said. Try not to rush it, I did and it broke open somewhat and only made it take longer to heal. Good luck.

I have read in survival manuals about, but never yet had to practice, using maggots to eat away infected tissue. This would nto be my first choice, keeping it from getting infected would be. From what I understand you allow a fly to land and lay eggs upon the wound, then cover it until the maggots grow. Then by carefully watching as they eat the dead tissue then kill them off. Before attpemting this I would get a whole lot more info than what I have given you here, I am not a doctor nor do I claim to be close to one.

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Lee

LIfe is too important to be taken seriously. Oscar Wilde

[This message has been edited by MichLee (edited 03-08-2000).]
 
Sesoku; all oral antibiotics are prescription only, however sympathetic doctors are usually not too hard to find.
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MAGGOTS??? (sound of retching) Well, actually they have been used medically. You see, it was thought that they would eat DEAD that is to say, NECROTIC tissue away, and stop when they got to living tissue. Recent evidence suggests that they might not be so quick to stop, and the psychlogical implications are so severe that this treatment is rarely used. I have never seen it. BTW, the flies are raised in a sterile environment, so that they do not bring germs onto the dead tissue.

The other consideration is that infected tissue doesn't usually die. It may be red and swollen, but it is still alive. Introducing maggots, especially non sterile ones into an infected wound would be foolish.

If you get really dead, necrotic (black, foul smelling, no feeling) tissue, then you are in deep kim chee, as this is often complicated by tetanus. Even before the tissue dies completely, in most cases. Your tetanus shot does not prevent the tetanus infection. The infection must be vigorously treated with IV antibiotics. What your tetanus shot does is decrease the neurological complications (tetany) which are convulsions.

Gangrene is, of course, another problem if you have a large amount of dead tissue. You usually only get a large amount of dead tissue in certain circumstances; severe gunshot wounds, severe crush injuries, severe (3rd degree) burns. Untreated gangrene is usually fatal, unless the affected limb is amputated. That is, in the field, or in the days before antibiotics. Now days, amputation is rare, as antibiotics and debridement (surgical removal of dead tissue) suffice.

Hope this helps, Walt
 
add Liq bandage in your med kit,once you've cleaned the debris use it for clousure. It stings a little till dry. I like the Adventure Med Kit Fundementals and add a few things. Hey doc I remember reading or someone saying peeing for wound irrigation when you don't have your Irr. syringe and solution. What do you think??
smile.gif
 
armlok; I think that any liquid closure is inferior to steri-strips or paper tape.

Irrigating a wound with urine is actually acceptable, providing it is male urine. Men rarely have urinary tract infections, so their urine is sterile. Not true of women.

This practice is rarely to be recommended, as some form of water purification is part of your gear, and you should have purified water on hand all the time. Walt
 
You can use the iodine tabs used for water purification to make a disinfectant, just make it more concentrated.
If you have access to a pot, boil yourself some tea (I always carry teabags in my pack) or make Chamomile or St John's wart herbal tea. All of these are mild antiseptics.
 
Walt :

A first generation cephalosporin (Keflex (r)) would be ideal. If the wound is severely infected, an IM injection of a third generation cephalosporin (Rocephin (r)) would be great if you have it.
Click to expand...

What do "first generation" and "third generation" mean exactly?

I realize of course, that with medical treatment, as with anything, the first step is to be prepared, so in general the answer to how do I deal with XXX is "make sure you have YYY". However, what if you don't?

Walt, if you are in a situation where you can't reach outside help, nor do you have medical supplies how do you handle a significant injury. The wound has been cleaned and flushes and the bleeding has been stopped however after time you notice that it is starting to get very sore and getting worse.

Is there anything you can do in this situation? For example would salt solutions help? What about extreme cold or high heat packs? What about acid / base solutions (cleaning products, food based acids)? What about just cutting away the dead flesh or burning it?

I realize that some of these create problems of their own, especially the last two, and without the proper skill could lead to life threatening injuries themselves and are last resort methods. However the fact remains, is there anything you can do besides just wait and hope?

-Cliff
 
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