A cut of a finger is a fairly common phenomenon in everyday life. It is a violation of the integrity of the skin, which is accompanied by bleeding. As a rule, this occurs with careless handling of sharp objects. The appearance of a cut is accompanied by a lot of inconvenience and discomfort, and also limits the working activity of the hand. In order to learn how to stop blood from the finger, you need to look at the elementary rules of first aid.
What to do first?
A cut of a finger is a situation in which you need to act quickly. If the wound is not deep, then with proper processing everything will do without complications. As you know, there are no vital arteries on the fingers, so in this case you can not be afraid of severe blood loss. However, the injuries themselves can be quite serious. The algorithm of actions will be as follows:
- Stop the blood.
- Prevent wound infection.
If an infection enters the cut, then the inflammatory process will begin, suppuration will appear. Such consequences can be much more serious than a small loss of blood.
The simplest and most affordable way to disinfect a wound is hydrogen peroxide. It is necessary to process a cut with it, having previously lifted a finger up. After that, you can bandage the wound or seal it with a bactericidal patch.
How to stop blood from a finger at home, if there are no disinfectant and hemostatic drugs on hand? In such a situation, you should immerse your palm in cold water. This will help not only rinse the wound, but also narrow the blood vessels, so the bleeding will stop soon.
Deep wound
While cooking in the kitchen, you have to deal with a lot of sharp objects. That is why there are often unfortunate incidents where, for example, the hostess cut a finger deeply with a knife. How to stop the blood in this case? To do this, raise your hand up and do not move a wounded finger. If a person has problems with coagulability, then specialized medicines and, possibly, medical care cannot be dispensed with. If there are foreign objects or substances in the wound, this can slow down the process of stopping the bleeding. Until it stops, you can not use healing ointments.
The cut should be washed well with peroxide. If there are no complications, then the blood should stop for 10 minutes, even with a deep cut. You can apply a tight bandage, but do not squeeze your finger too much. Instead of the usual bandage, it is permissible to use specialized antibacterial dressings that can be purchased at pharmacies.
How to stop blood on the thumb with a deep cut? There are several rules that can help even in the most adverse situations:
- In no case should you move your finger. This can significantly slow down the process of stopping bleeding and the formation of the first “crust”.
- After washing the wound, the finger should never be wetted. If this is unavoidable, then rubber gloves should be used. After contact with water, remove the product and change the dressing. If this is not done, then ideal conditions will arise for the development of infections (heat, high humidity, minimal oxygen supply).
- At first, you will need to change the bandage every 3-4 hours, in the future - several times a day. In this case, it is necessary to carefully treat the wound with an antiseptic.
Dirty cut
Situations arise when, while working with sharp instruments or swimming in a pond, a person cut his finger. "How to stop the blood?" - The question that bothers him first. However, in such a situation, it is more dangerous that dirt got into the wound with a high degree of probability. Rinsing the cut with plenty of clean, cold water will not be enough. It is necessary to dilute a weak solution of potassium permanganate and treat it with a wound. Next comes the turn of hydrogen peroxide. The foam that it forms perfectly cleanses the cut from various germs and bacteria. The edges of the wound should be additionally treated with brilliant green (it is necessary to act carefully so as not to “burn” the skin around). After all disinfection procedures have been completed, a tight dressing can be applied to exert a pressure effect.
Special preparations
If a person cuts a finger, and already knows how to stop the blood, then it is important to take care of infection prevention. It, as noted above, represents a much greater danger than bleeding. As a preventive measure, ointments can be used, in which tetracycline and neomycin are present. It is advisable to anoint the finger within 4 hours after the injury, then the drugs will be most effective.
There are also specialized wound healing and antiseptic agents. They are used after stopping the blood and removing the bandage. You can use such wound healing creams and ointments, such as Solcoseryl, Levomekol, Rescuer, and Bepanten.
Children
Moving fidgets can get hurt easily. In this regard, many parents are concerned about the question of how to stop the blood from a finger in a child. In this case, such "adult" disinfectants such as iodine, brilliant green or hydrogen peroxide will not work. The child already experiences pain from a cut, so that burning during the treatment of a wound is completely useless. Such side effects occur due to the fact that alcohol is present in the composition of these agents. It is better to give preference to water-based medicines. One such treatment for wounds is Octenisept. Since when a cut appears, you need to act immediately, you should take care of its presence in advance. If it is not in the home medicine cabinet, you will have to use old, but time-tested means.
Folk methods
What should I do if, when I was in the country or in the field, my fingertip was cut? How to stop the blood? The pharmacy is far away, and getting to the hospital is not possible. Before returning "to civilization", you can use folk remedies. Decoctions of oak bark or chamomile are the most effective and safe natural antiseptics. They can be used individually, but they are most effective together. Chamomile is known for its disinfecting properties. The composition of the oak bark contains astringents that are necessary to stop bleeding.
The advice on plantain application is relevant in a variety of situations, and this is no exception. A burdock leaf is also quite suitable. These plants possess not only antiseptic, but also wound healing properties. However, before applying the leaves to the wound, you need to thoroughly rinse them in running water. It is also important to make small incisions on them so that they secrete healing juice.
Antibiotics are even in nature. If the wound is contaminated, then you can not do without tincture of calendula. You can also prepare a decoction of this plant. If there are no medicines at hand, then you should rely on calendula. It is believed that this plant can help even with a strong inflammatory process.
If the situation is hopeless, there are no antiseptics at hand (both medicinal and natural), then extreme measures can be taken. A contaminated cut on the finger should be washed with a weak solution of salt. Obviously, such manipulations will cause very strong irritation and pain. But still, if there are no alternatives, saline can do a good job of wound disinfection.
Precautionary measures
Some people who know how to stop blood from a finger are overconfident. If there are foreign bodies or substances in the wound (glass fragments, dirt, etc.), then it is strictly forbidden to try to expand the cut and get it all on your own. You should use a tourniquet (tightened on the finger a little higher than the cut), apply a sterile dressing to the wound and seek qualified medical help without fail. This instruction will be relevant even with a deep wound, as it will help stop severe bleeding and minimize the risk of infection.
When is medical attention required?
What to do if I cut my finger, but the blood does not stop in any way? This may indicate that large blood vessels or tendons were damaged. Seek emergency medical help in the following cases:
- Blood flows out very quickly, as if under pressure.
- A foreign body is present in the wound.
- The sensitivity of the fingers has deteriorated significantly.
- It is impossible to bend or unbend the phalanges.
- Blood does not stop for a long time and constantly oozes from the wound. If improvement does not occur within half an hour, an ambulance team should be called.
What should I do if I cut my finger and the blood stops, but there is a suspicion of infection? If dirt got into the wound, but it was not possible to rinse it for some reason, then you should definitely contact a medical institution. It is highly likely that the doctor will be vaccinated against tetanus so that the patient is protected from this dangerous infection.
Conclusion
The reader already knows well how to stop blood from a finger. With a shallow cut, this can also be done at home. To do this, the first-aid kit should always have disinfectants, wound healing preparations, a bandage or adhesive plaster. However, it is important to remember that in severe cases medical treatment is indispensable. With severe bleeding, surgical intervention may be required to ligate the vessels and suture.