1. What is an accident? Common wounds caused by accidents
According to Wikipedia, an accident is “an unintended or intentional injury, an undesirable, random, and unforeseen event causing damage to people and property.”
Regarding common causes of accidents, accidents can be classified into 3 main groups:
– Traffic accidents: Sudden accidents occurring while participating in traffic.
– Occupational accidents: Sudden accidents occurring during work.
– Other types of accidents: drowning, falls, electric shocks, poisoning, construction collapses, injuries during sports…
– Based on severity of accident (casualties): suffocation, burns, radiation, poisoning, mechanical injuries.
– Based on human activity: domestic accidents, occupational accidents, traffic accidents, fire/explosion/construction collapse, accidents while mountain climbing/sports/hunting…
Not all but most accidents lead to open wounds. These can be abrasions, tears, cuts, puncture wounds with bleeding… Because friction during accidents often causes abrasion of the epithelial layer, exposing the epidermis and dermis; sometimes injuries can be deeper involving tendons, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and internal organs…
2. Steps to treat accident wounds
When treating wounds caused by accidents, we must be very careful to ensure 3 first aid goals:
– Save the victim’s life (preserve life)
– Prevent worsening condition (prevent further harm)
– Facilitate recovery process (promote recovery)
Here are the first aid steps for traffic accident victims shared by Master, Doctor Phạm Đức Lượng. However, remember the first step upon seeing an injured person is to call emergency services immediately.
Step 1: Use protective equipment (gloves)
Before providing first aid to accident wounds, you should use protective equipment to avoid the risk of infection to yourself and the victim. If available, wear disposable gloves; if not, you can use plastic bags to cover your hands or multiple layers of cloth to prevent direct contact with the victim’s blood.
Step 2: Expose the injured area (find accident wounds)
Next, you need to remove the victim’s clothing around the affected body area to accurately identify wounds for treatment. Sometimes blood, clothes, other fluids or mud may obscure injuries. Perform this step gently to avoid causing more pain but ensure no accident wounds are missed.
Step 3: Perform bleeding control
Controlling bleeding from accident wounds is a very important step in first aid to prevent blood loss. The material used to stop bleeding should be clean and absorbent, such as: clean bandages, sterile gauze, clean shirts or towels. Accordingly:
– If the wound still contains foreign objects inside, press firmly around it, because blood flow will slow down under pressure.
– If first aid materials are available, press the wound with cotton, gauze, and bandages. After bandaging, do not remove or lift the bandage as it may interrupt clotting and cause bleeding again. If blood soaks through the bandage, add more cloth/gauze over the bandaged area.
– If you do not have materials to tie and fix the bandage in place, keep pressing with your hand on the accident wound covered by gauze to help clotting.
– If possible, raise the injured area higher than the heart, as this will reduce blood pressure to that area.
– When stopping bleeding from accident wounds, do not use a tourniquet (a temporary bleeding control by tightly twisting fabric or rubber band around a limb segment to stop blood flow), except as a last resort to save the victim’s life.
When applying a tourniquet, you must know how and when to use it properly, because improper use can cause serious injuries, even limb loss. Therefore, when using a tourniquet, note the exact time of application to inform medical personnel for timely treatment upon arrival.
Step 4: Bandage the accident wound
Bandaging the wound is the final important step in first aid. Covering the wound with clean materials not only helps stop bleeding but also prevents infection.
If a penetrating object or foreign bodies remain in the wound, bandage around the wound and stabilize the object as best as possible to prevent movement. Moreover, the object can help stop bleeding, so do not push it further inside or pull it out. The best way is to secure the foreign object and wait for emergency support from professional medical personnel.
After first aid, immediately transfer the victim to a medical facility or wait for the rescue team.
3. What to eat and avoid to help accident wounds heal faster?
Besides first aid and proper wound care, the patient also needs to pay attention to a suitable diet to speed wound healing.
3.1. Foods that help accident wounds heal quickly and prevent infection
– Foods rich in iron, vitamin B12, folic acid promote blood formation: dark green vegetables, meats, eggs, liver, milk…
– Foods rich in zinc and selenium help fight infection and speed healing: eggs, cereals, fish, poultry, shellfish…
– Foods rich in B vitamins, vitamins A, E promote new tissue formation; foods high in vitamin C boost immunity and fight infection: dragon fruit, papaya, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, dark leafy greens…
– Protein-rich foods are the main materials to produce new cells: eggs, eel, shrimp, meat, fish, legumes…
3.2. Foods to avoid to help accident wounds heal faster
According to folk beliefs, foods with a fishy smell cause wounds to swell, become pus-filled, weep or cause keloid scars. Therefore, some people tend to avoid seafood (shrimp, crab, sea fish), water spinach, beef when injured.
However, there is no research proving these foods delay healing or cause wound infection or pus. Therefore, doctors usually only advise patients to avoid foods they are allergic to. Because allergic foods can cause itching, hives, swollen eyelids, difficulty breathing… These allergy symptoms can increase local inflammation and cause more pus at the injury site.
For open wounds, patients should also limit sugar or foods with high sugar content, as sugar can affect collagen on the epidermis surface slowing healing.
Above are useful knowledge and information when performing first aid & caring for accident wounds. At Urgo Medical, we provide many wound care solutions suitable for each injury condition and healing stage. You can refer to related wound care products here: www.urgomedical.vn.
- How to treat traffic accident wounds (Master, Doctor Phạm Đức Lượng – Emergency Department – Vinmec Times City International General Hospital): https://www.vinmec.com/vi/tin-tuc/thong-tin-suc-khoe/suc-khoe-tong-quat/cach-xu-ly-vet-thuong-tai-nan-giao-thong
– Gina M. Piazza et all: Penetrating chest wound, First aid manual: the step by step guide for everyone, Fifth edition first published in the United States in 2014 by DK Publishing, 4th floor, 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
– Ali Raja, Richard D Zane: Initial management of trauma in adults; up to date, last updated: Oct 01, 2019. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/initial-management-of-trauma-in-adults.
– Tom Blackwell: Prehospital care of the adult trauma patient; Up to date, last updated: May 06, 2020. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/prehospital-care-of-the-adult-trauma-patient?search=prehospital%20management%20of%20the%20adult%20trauma%20patient&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~131&usage_type=default&display_rank=1.
- https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_n%E1%BA%A1n
- https://tuoitre.vn/dinh-duong-giup-mau-lanh-vet-thuong-20180227111628202.htm
- https://bvnguyentriphuong.com.vn/dieu-duong/cham-soc-vet-thuong-phan-1