Cuts, Scrapes, and Bruises

Cuts, scrapes and bruises An injury to the soft tissue is a wound A closed wound is a bruise Open wounds are cuts, scrapes, punctures, and avulsions.

Avulsion when a piece of skin, soft tissue, or even a body part are torn loose or entirely off.

Blood Vessels Bleeding occurs when a blood vessel is broken Arteries – largest, from the heart to all parts of the body. Blood travels faster and is under more pressure. Is bright red in color Veins – return blood back to the heart. They bled slower and are easier to control. Usually get damaged more often because they are closer to the skin. A dark red color. Capillaries – tiny blood vessels that are found near the skin. Usually bleed from a scrape or shallow cuts. Bleed slow are clot easily. Are the darkest in color

Blood Vessels Veins Arteries

Punctures are caused by pointed objects and stabbings. If the object stays in the wound, it is an Impaled object. Leave the object in, unless it is a splinter Punctures usually do not bleed a lot, but they may cause severe infection. Will bleed more in different areas Tetanus shots should be received every 5 – 10 years

Dressings and Bandages A dressing is placed directly on the wound to soak up blood and prevent germs from entering. Example is a gauze pad. A bandage is used to wrap or cover parts of the body. Some are used to cover over the dressings, to apply pressure to control the bleeding, or to splint a body part. Example – band-aids, roller bandage

Dressing

Bandage