A quick write up on wound care in the woods I posted for a Facebook group, figured you folks would like to see as well.

Happy Friday folks. Because the topic seems to come up from time to time I wanted to talk a little about wound care in the woods. As a registered nurse I feel qualified to give some advice, and since we all have sharp objects we mess with it's likely we'll have a cut or two once in a while.So, first order of business when you get a bad cut is controlling bleeding. This is done by applying direct and firm pressure to the wound with the cleanest thing you can find- sterile gauze is ideal, but a clean shirt, bandanna, or whatever is better than your muddy hands. It can also help to elevate the wound above the level of the heart. If you have a massively bleeding wound that does not respond to pressure, a tourniquet may be advised followed by immediate evacuation to a hospital. Do NOT apply home remedies, ground up plants, etc. Just use pressure. Also, if you soak through one piece of gauze, add a new one on top instead of taking the soaked one off.Once bleeding is controlled you want to clean the wound of any dirt or debris that got stuck in there. Do NOT do this with alcohol, peroxide, or any such chemicals. These things kill healthy tissue and will hamper an immune response and healing. All you need is water. Again sterile is best, clean is good enough. Use your drinking water- the keys here are VOLUME and PRESSURE. I carry a large bore syringe in my first aid kit for irrigating wounds- you want to spray it in there, and spray a lot of it, to flush out any nasties. If you've no syringe, use a container and reach up high and pour it into the wound from high above so it splashes around. Use lots of water. Alternatively, if you have a clean, flexible plastic water bottle you can use that to effectively irrigate wounds as well. Don't use something you put your mouth on.Once the wound is cleaned out, you want it covered to avoid getting more crap in there. Once again, sterile coverings are best, clean coverings are good enough. For gaping wounds I use steri-strips or butterfly closures. Do NOT stitch your wound shut! You are likely not trained in sterile technique nor in suturing and you're dragging dirty thread through your clean wound, massively increasing the risk of infection, and it's completely unnecessary. Steri strips do the job just fine. Cover the wound with gauze or clothing, and if necessary get to a doctor for proper care.Hope you folks find this useful and hope it helps avoid some misconceptions about wilderness first aid. Thanks for reading! http://ift.tt/2g3Fifh