Wounds and Wound Care by Rose Byrne _ Student - ApexFriendship

Abrasion

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:06:54 UTC

An abrasion is caused by the scraping away of the skin.

Initial Care: Wash the wound with soap and water, apply an antibiotic ointment, and put a bandage over the wound.

Post Care: Make sure you are keeping the wound clean and changing the bandage if needed. Monitor for any signs of infection.

Laceration

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:12:26 UTC

A jagged tear in the skin caused by a sharp object.

Initial Care: Apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding, and elevate the wound if possible. Clean and bandage the wound after bleeding stops.

Post Care: If the wound is deep enough you will need to seek medical care to get stitches. Change the bandages as needed and monitor the wound for signs of infection.

Incision

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:17:19 UTC

A clean, neat cut made by a surgical instrument.

Initial Care: Keep the wound clean and apply a sterile dressing.

Post Care: Change bandages as needed and monitor for signs of infection. You may need to go back to the doctor to get any stitches taken out.

Puncture

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:20:02 UTC

An injury in the skin caused by a sharp, pointed object.

Initial Care: Apply direct pressure to stop the bleeding, clean the wound, apply an antibiotic ointment and a sterile dressing.

Post Care: Keep the wound clean and change the bandage as needed. Monitor the wound for signs of infection.

Avulsion

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:23:51 UTC

An injury where the skin is torn away.

Initial Care: Apply direct pressure to stop bleeding. Clean and bandage the wound with a sterile dressing. Medical attention may be required for large or deep wounds.

Post Care: Change the bandages as needed and keep the wound clean. Monitor the wound for signs of infection.

Contusion

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:27:58 UTC

An injury to the skin caused by a direct blow/impact, which causes blood capillaries to rupture.

Initial Care: Use the RICE method. Rest the injured area, ice the injured area, apply compression to the area and elevate it to reduce swelling.

Post Care: You can take pain relief medications such as ibuprofen and apply heat to the area. If the pain or swelling becomes worse, you should seek medical attention.

Hematoma

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:34:57 UTC

A localized collection of blood that accumulates due to a ruptured blood vessel. It can occur in the skin, muscles, organs, and brain.

Initial Care: Treat the wound with RICE. Rest and ice the injured area, apply compression and elevate the wound to reduce swelling. You can take acetaminophen but should NOT take aspirin or ibuprofen because they are blood thinners and will make the injury worse.

Post Care: Monitor the wound. If you experience severe pain, fever, or any abnormal symptoms you should seek medical attention.

Burn

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:40:30 UTC

An injury to the skin caused by thermal, electrical, radiation, chemical, or friction energy. It ranges from first to fourth degree burns. More severe burns can have major complications such as infection, scarring, dehydration, shock, and organ damage.

Initial Care: Run the wound under cold NOT icy water. Cover the wound with a sterile dressing. For more severe burns you should immediately seek medical attention.

Post Care: Change bandages as needed and monitor the wound for any signs of infection. You can take over the counter medication such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to manage the pain.

1.

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-08 15:51:46 UTC

Universal precautions are the standards when caring for a wound that includes treating all bodily fluids as infectious and wearing personal protective equipment to minimize the transmission of pathogens. When caring for a wound you should have access to gauze/clean cloths to apply pressure to a wound, soap and clean water, sterile dressings, and antibiotic ointment.

2.

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-09 15:20:49 UTC

To properly remove gloves, first pinch the outside of the glove near the wrist. Pull the glove off while turning it inside out, and hold it in the other gloved hand. Slide two fingers into the other gloved hand and remove the glove while making sure to turn it inside out, and pull it over the other glove being held. This should create one ball of the contaminated gloves, but allow you to dispose of it while only coming in contact with the non-contaminated side.

3.

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-09 15:25:10 UTC

Signs of infection include redness, swelling, drainage, and pain. To treat an infected wound you should clean it with soap and water, make sure to keep the bandages clean by changing them as needed, and apply an antibiotic ointment. If the infection does not go away or becomes worse, you should seek medical attention to properly treat the infection.

4.

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-09 15:28:47 UTC

You should first wash your hands and put on gloves. Then apply direct pressure to the wound with gauze or a clean towel. When the bleeding has stopped, clean the wound with soap and water. Then apply an antibiotic ointment to prevent infection, and cover the wound with a sterile dressing. Change bandages as needed and monitor the wound to make sure it is healing properly and no infection is developing.

5.

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-09 15:32:44 UTC

You should put all contaminated items in a leak proof bag such as a biohazard bag or a sturdy plastic bag. Make sure the bag is sealed and no contaminants can leak out. This is an important step in wound care because it limits the transmission of pathogens.

6.

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-09 15:37:23 UTC

Washing your hands before providing wound care is important to prevent dirt and germs from infecting the open wound. Washing your hands after giving care is important to prevent pathogens from the open wound transmitting to you or others. Washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and scrubbing ALL surfaces including under your fingernails is important for making sure your hands are completely clean.

7.

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-09 15:43:24 UTC

A strong continuous or spurting blood flow can indicate excessive bleeding from a wound. Lightheadedness or unconsciousness also indicates excessive bleeding. If direct pressure is not effective in stopping the bleeding, you should pack the wound with gauze and apply a tourniquet, especially if the bleeding is life threatening. Elevating the wound above the heart will also help reduce bleeding. You should call 911 if a wound is causing excessive bleeding because it could become life threatening.

8.

rmbyrne1 — 2025-10-09 15:48:28 UTC

Keeping a wound covered helps prevent infection because germs and bacteria are unable to infect the wound. A dressing should be changed whenever it becomes saturated with drainage from the wound. Changing the dressings helps to keep the wound clean which prevents infection.