A stab wound is painful, bleeds a lot, is potentially fatal, and immediate action is required to stop the bleeding, relieve pain and stabilize the victim until the cut is examined by medical professionals. Caring for this type of injury requires quick intervention and a cool head to effectively provide the first care needed to control bleeding and save the victim's life.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Assessing the Situation
Step 1. Examine your surroundings
A stabbing often occurs during a dangerous circumstance and the attacker (s) may still be around; you and the injured may still be in danger. Avoid becoming another victim yourself by intervening or getting too close to the attackers. Only deal with the injured person when you are certain that the situation is safe.
While waiting until the attackers have walked away can waste valuable time treating the victim, if there are more people injured it can become more difficult to properly care for all of them
Step 2. Call the ambulance immediately
If the person has been stabbed, it is very important to call the emergency services as soon as possible.
- If you are the only person around, first of all grab your cell phone and call for help. If you don't have your phone with you, talk to a passerby or go to a nearby shop. You must help the victim as quickly as possible, but the most important thing to do is to seek prompt medical attention.
- If the attackers are still nearby and you are unable to approach the victim safely, use this time to call for help.
Step 3. Have the person lie down
Before you do anything to stabilize the wound, you must have the injured person lie down on the ground. This makes it easier to take care of them, especially if they start to feel dizzy or lose consciousness. You must prevent the injury from escalating or the victim injuring himself by falling while passing out.
For extra comfort, put a jacket or backpack under her head. Alternatively, if there are other people nearby, ask one of them to sit down, hold the injured person's head in her lap and talk to him; in this way it is possible to calm and reassure him
Step 4. Examine the victim and define the severity of the situation
Are there more wounds on the body? Do you see more than one stabbing? Where does the blood come from? From the front or back of the body?
- You will probably need to remove or move the victim's clothing to properly locate the wound (s). Try to find them all before starting treatment.
- However, if you see a clearly severe cut that requires immediate care, you need to deal with it right away. A wound is serious when blood comes out abundantly and steadily or gushes like a fountain. In this case, it means that an artery has been affected.
Part 2 of 3: Deal with the Stabbing Injury
Step 1. Put on disposable gloves if you have them available
Alternatively, put a plastic bag on your hands. While this step is not essential for caring for the wound, it does allow you to protect yourself and reduce the risk of infection for you or the victim.
- If available, nitrile or non-latex gloves are more suitable, because they minimize the possibility of allergic reactions to this substance, which could create greater problems during treatment. Nitrile or other non-latex materials are typically blue or purple in color and are rapidly replacing white latex ones, which were previously the norm.
- If you don't have gloves on hand, try to wash your hands or use a sanitizer quickly. If you don't even have these options, take a piece of cloth to create a barrier between your skin and the victim's blood.
- Remember that you shouldn't touch the person if you are concerned about getting an infection or feel uncomfortable. Wait for help to arrive if in doubt. If you choose to take care of the injured person instead, do your best to minimize contact with his blood.
Step 2. Check the victim's airways, breathing and circulation
- Make sure his airways are clear.
- Listen to her breathing and see if her chest moves.
- Check your heart rate to make sure your heart is working regularly.
- If the person has stopped breathing, start cardiopulmonary resuscitation right away.
- If she is still conscious, start the procedures, but also make sure you talk to her to keep her calm and slow her heart rate. If you can, try to look away from her to prevent her from seeing the wound.
Step 3. Remove the victim's clothing from the injured area
This way you can see the precise spot of the stab and proceed with the treatment. Sometimes the wound may be hidden by clothing, blood or other fluids, or even dirt or mud, depending on where the victim is.
Be very careful when undressing the person, as you could hurt them a lot
Step 4. Do not remove the weapon, if it is still inserted
Leave it in the wound and be very careful not to move it, otherwise you could cause further damage. In fact, the foreign body makes it possible to restrict the flow of blood. If you take it out you can increase the bleeding, while if you push it you can cause more damage to internal organs.
You need to apply pressure and cover the wound around the object as best you can. Doctors will be able to remove the weapon without damaging any internal organ and without causing excessive bleeding
Step 5. Stop the bleeding
Apply pressure around the wound with clean, absorbent material (such as a shirt or towel) or, better yet, with a clean cloth such as sterile gauze. If the element that caused the injury is still in the skin, press firmly around it; this precaution allows to slow down the bleeding.
- Some first aid instructors recommend using the edge of a credit card to "seal" the wound, as this is a readily available item because many people have one on hand. In this way, you not only slow down the bleeding, but also avoid a pneumothorax (by preventing air from entering the wound) if the cut is on the chest.
- If the injury is bleeding heavily, use your hands to apply pressure to the main artery leading to the affected area. This area is called the "pressure point". For example, to reduce bleeding from the arm, press the inner part just above the elbow or under the armpit. If, on the other hand, the wound is on the leg, press behind the knee or in the groin.
Step 6. Position the victim so that the wound is higher than the heart
This also helps reduce blood loss. If the person can sit down, let him move on his own and assume a standing position; if not, help her as best you can.
Step 7. Cover the dressing
If you have first aid material on hand, secure the dressing in place using a bandage or plaster. Do not lift or remove the bandage, otherwise you may remove the clot that is forming and the bleeding may start again. If the bandage starts to get soaked with blood, put more material on top of the first one.
- If you can't get anything to secure the dressing, simply continue to maintain pressure to help the clot form.
- If the wound is on the chest you need to be very careful. Cover it with something, such as a sheet of aluminum foil, a plastic bag or cling film, and close only three sides of the cut, leaving one free, without tape or plaster. In fact, it is important that air can escape from one side of the dressing to prevent it from seeping into the pleural cavity with consequent pneumothorax.
- Never use the tourniquet except as a last resort to save the victim's life. You need to know for sure how and when to use it; if you apply it incorrectly, you can cause serious further injury or even amputation of the affected limb.
Step 8. Continue applying pressure to the wound until help arrives
In the meantime, you need to constantly monitor the airways, breathing and circulation.
Look for and treat symptoms of shock. These include cold, clammy skin, paleness, rapid heartbeat or rapid breathing, nausea, vomiting, dizziness or fainting, increased anxiety or agitation. If you are concerned that the victim may be in shock, loosen the constricting clothing and cover them with a blanket to warm them; make sure it stays still. Read this article for more details on this
Step 9. Check his state of consciousness
If he's unconscious, you need to act fast. Place the victim in a safe position, on their side with the head tucked back, with the hand furthest from the ground under the head, while the arm closest to the ground bent or stretched out. The leg that is furthest from the ground (the upper one) must be bent to stabilize the body and prevent the victim from rolling over. However, you should not put the person in this position if you suspect they have a spine or neck injury. Always keep an eye on his breathing.
If she is unconscious and stops breathing, you need to put her on her back and perform cardiopulmonary breathing
Step 10. Keep the victim warm and comfortable
Both shock and blood loss can cause her to drop in body temperature. Therefore cover it with a blanket, coat or some warm clothing to prevent it from getting cold.
Make sure she stays still as much as possible. Regardless of whether she is lying down or sitting, she must remain still and calm. It is important that someone stays close to her constantly, to reassure her and monitor her condition
Part 3 of 3: Clean and Seal the Stabbed Wound
Step 1. Start by cleaning the cut
If you are in an isolated location and do not have the ability to call an ambulance (for example, you are camping or in the wilderness), you need to clean the wound once the bleeding has been managed. In normal situations, this task should be done by the emergency services personnel, but there may be some circumstances where you need to take care of it yourself.
- Remove any residue or dirt from the wound, if any. But remember that even if you don't see any dirt, you can't know how clean the object that pierced the leather was. In other words, all wounds must be cleaned thoroughly.
- The best remedy to wash the cut is a saline solution; if you don't have any, the best alternative is simple fresh, clean water.
- Optionally, you can also prepare the salt solution yourself: add a tablespoon to 250 ml of hot water.
- Wound cleaning is likely to be quite painful if the victim is conscious; then try to warn her.
Step 2. Treat the wound
A dirty wound should not be sealed and a stab wound is considered "dirty". The dressing should help you avoid any contamination with foreign materials, such as dust or dirt, which could lead to an infection. You should wash the cut with a saline solution and cover it with gauze to be fixed with tape that is not too tight. In this case, you are covering the wound, but not sealing it while you wait for the blood clot to form.
- If you have some medical knowledge or know for sure that the wound is clean, you can close it; But first make sure it's dry. If you have glue, apply it to the edges of the leather around the cut (not the inside!). Place a piece of duct tape over one edge of the wound, pull the skin flaps together with your hands, and then adhere the other side of the tape. Cover the wound with a clean cloth, duct tape, or whatever else you have available to prevent dirt or other contaminants from infecting it. The wound should be medicated every day.
- If the wound continues to bleed Not you have to close it.
Step 3. Apply a topical antibiotic if available
If you have antibiotic ointment on hand, spread it regularly on the wound to avoid the risk of getting infections.
Step 4. Check that the bandage is not too tight
Examine the end farthest from the heart of each bandaged limb. For example, if the victim has a cut on his arm, you need to pay attention to the fingers of the hand; if the wound is on the leg, check the toes. When the bandage is too tight it blocks blood circulation to the area below, a dangerous situation that can cause permanent tissue damage. You can tell if it is occurring because the skin is starting to change color (turning bluish or dark). Loosen the bandage in case you notice these signs and call the ambulance as soon as possible.
Advice
- If you don't have many accessories available, try applying sterile dressings directly to the wound and then add other non-sterile improvised materials (towels, shirts, etc.) over the clean bandage.
- While wound cleaning can be painful (unless only water has been used), the pain itself is an immediate sign that cleaning is effective and being done correctly.
