Things To Know When Treating Open Chest Wounds
If you’ve ever been in the military or medical field, you know open chest wounds are not something to be taken lightly. They can be incredibly dangerous to treat, and when not treated properly, they can lead to death. Even if you don’t have any experience with this kind of wound, it’s still important to know what you’re doing if it ever happens to someone in your life.
In order to treat these wounds properly, it’s important to know what you’re dealing with. Here are some things to keep in mind when treating open chest wounds:
Be Prepared And Know Your Equipment
The first step in treating open chest wounds is to be prepared. You must have the proper equipment and supplies on hand, including a chest seal that can be bought from Medical solutions by SAM Medical.
Make sure that you’re familiar with the equipment and supplies you have before treating a patient with an open chest wound. This will help make sure that you can properly treat the wounded individual as quickly as possible.
Clear The Airway
If you come across a person who has sustained an open chest wound in an accident, you need to ensure that they have a clear airway. This is especially true if they’ve been in an accident or other trauma.
Their airway may be blocked by their tongue or by foreign objects like dirt and debris, so you’ll want to ensure that it’s clear before attempting any other treatment.
Once you’ve made sure their airway is clear, you can move on to treating the bleeding and helping them breathe.
Keep The Area Clean
When treating open chest wounds, it’s important to keep the area clean. You can use sterile gauze or cotton swabs to clean the wound. If you have an open chest wound, you may also want to wash your hands before touching the area.
When treating an open chest wound, you mustn’t touch anything else while your hands are dirty. This includes other parts of your body and objects in the room where you are treating the wound. If you put your dirty hands on something else and then touch the wound again, there’s a chance that germs from these objects could enter your body through the open chest wound and cause infection.
Remove The Clothing
The treatment of open chest wounds differs from that of closed chest wounds. When treating an open chest wound, you should remove the clothing from the injury and expose all of the chest wall. When removing clothing from an open chest wound, be sure to use gloves or another barrier to protect yourself from blood-borne pathogens.
If clothing is stuck to the skin, don’t try to pull it off. Instead, cut it away with scissors or a knife. If a piece of clothing cannot be removed, cover it with a clean dressing and tape over the wound.
Expose The Chest Wound
When treating open chest wounds, expose the wound to get a good look at it. Also, you’ll be able to clean and dress the wound better if you can see what you are doing.
If the patient has a penetrating injury, be sure to check for other injuries in the body. For example, check for injuries in the back or abdomen by pressing on the patient’s back or abdomen with your hands. If there is pain on palpation, then there may be an injury present in that area.
Apply Pressure
When treating open chest wounds, use pressure to stop the bleeding. The method for applying pressure depends on the location of the wound.
For wounds to the left of the chest, use two fingers to press down on the wound and apply pressure with your palm. For wounds to the right of the chest, place one hand on top of another and press down firmly on both sides of the wound. If there’s an object protruding from the wound, use a clean cloth or towel to wrap around it and then apply pressure.
For wounds at any level in the chest that are bleeding heavily or spurting blood, apply direct pressure over them with a clean cloth or towel until help arrives or until the bleeding stops naturally.
Use A Clean Dressing To Cover The Injury
When treating open chest wounds, you should be able to cover the injury with a clean dressing. This will help prevent infection and keep the wound from getting worse. There are different types of dressings, including gauze pads, that can be used to cover an injury.
The most important thing to remember is to be gentle when applying the dressing so you don’t cause more damage or pain to your patient’s chest. You can also use tape or medical tape to secure the dressing in place.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve read the important information in this article, you should be ready to tackle open chest wounds. Remember that this is a serious condition. If left untreated, it can lead to severe health complications. Open chest wounds are also dangerous because they increase the risk of infection, which can be fatal if left untreated.
