Page 158 - (DK) Home Doctor: Providing practical advice on home treatments

156 FIRST AID

Cuts, scrapes, and splinters

Small cuts, scrapes, and splinters are common injuries. Cuts usually bleed for a short time. Scrapes bleed
less, but may be painful and have dust and dirt trapped in them. You can often see or feel splinters in your
skin or under nails, or you may not notice them until the area becomes red, hot, and painful due to infection.
These injuries, though minor, can carry the risk of tetanus, a serious bacterial infection that can be fatal.
People are normally immunized against it in childhood but may need boosters as adults. After treating
any injury that breaks the skin, check that tetanus immunization is up to date. Seek medical advice
if it is more than 10 years since immunization or if you are not sure when the last injection was given.

PRACTICAL TECHNIQUE

Removing a splinter Treating a small wound or scrape
Most splinters can be removed easily. Your goals are to Your main goals when treating a minor cut, scrape, or
remove the entire splinter, if possible, and to minimize the other wound are to control bleeding and minimize the
risk of infection. Put on disposable gloves first, if available, risk of infection. Before you start, put on disposable
or wash your hands thoroughly. gloves, if available, or wash your hands thoroughly.
Clean the area around the splinter with soap and Control bleeding by pressing a clean gauze pad
warm water and pat it dry with a gauze pad. firmly on the wound. Raise the injured area above
1 Sterilize a pair of tweezers by passing the ends 1 the level of the heart, if possible, to reduce the
through the flame of a lighter or match. Allow flow of blood to the wound. Most small cuts will
the tweezers to cool down before you use them. stop bleeding within a few minutes.
Squeeze the skin Rinse the wound
around the splinter with cool running
2 to make the end 2 water. Clear out as
stick out. Grasp the much dirt as you can.
splinter with the Use a gauze pad to
tweezers and gently clean the surrounding
pull it out, at the skin. Lift out any
same angle at which debris in the wound
it entered. Try not with the corner of
to break the splinter. the pad, if necessary.
Squeeze the skin Dab the area dry
around the wound with a clean pad.
3 to make it bleed a 3 Cover the wound with
little; this will flush an adhesive dressing
out any remaining or adhesive bandage.
dirt. Clean the area Do not use cotton
again with warm, balls or any fluffy
soapy water, pat it material that may
dry, and cover it with stick to the wound.
an adhesive dressing.

Seek medical advice if a large splinter cannot be Seek medical advice if the wound is gaping or
removed easily; the site of the splinter becomes deeper than was first suspected; you cannot remove
4 hot, red, swollen, and painful; the victim becomes 4 gravel or dirt from the wound; the site becomes
feverish; and/or the victim is not up to date with hot, red, swollen, and painful; and/or the victim
tetanus immunization. is not up to date with tetanus immunization.