About First Aid Treatment for Cuts
You are sitting in the kitchen planning dinner, when your baby comes in screaming, showing you a bleeding wound. You throw down everything trying to figure how to treat your baby's cut. It's just a small flesh wound, but your baby is crying like the world is coming to an end. They didn't teach this in college, so what do you do?
How severe is the injury? If the cut is consistently gushing out blood that means an artery has been damaged and a trip to the emergency room is warranted. Take a small/medium to medium towel and apply gentle pressure on the wound to halt blood flow. Get to the hospital, immediately.
If it is a flesh wound or a cut with little to no blood flow, then proceed with first-aid treatment:
- Ask what caused the cut. Was it a piece of glass, a used, discarded needle or a scrape across the ground? Finding out this information will also help decide whether a visit to the hospital is necessary. If the cut was caused by a used, discarded needle, head to the emergency room no matter how deep the cut is. Alert the medical provider when registering and they will treat the cut appropriately.
- Take a clean, white cloth, wet it with soap and water and clean the area gently. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
- Take a clean tissue or paper towel and dab the area dry.
- Pour either some hydrogen peroxide or Ethyl alcohol directly onto the wound. Alcohol will sting a little, but both liquids kill germs lingering inside the cut. Look for a mild foam to bubble up after the peroxide is applied; this is normal so don't panic.
- Dab the edges of the wound dry with a clean paper towel.
- Place first aid cream on the wound and bandage adhesive onto the dry area. The wound should start to heal within a few days. If not, see your family care provider.