A wound in the abdomen is characterized by a high degree of danger, since it is likely that internal organs will be affected, and it is not possible to visually assess the severity of the injury. To help a person survive until the arrival of doctors, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of first aid for injuring the abdomen in advance.
Open wound
First aid for injuring the abdomen depends entirely on the nature of the injury. Open wounds are considered the most dangerous, since they are characterized by the development of bleeding, penetrating damage to internal organs, rupture of blood vessels and tissues. Most often, this type of injury occurs due to a puncture or cut, in rare cases it can be caused by insect bites and gunshot wounds.
Closed injury and bruising
In the case of a closed abdominal injury, a foreign body cannot penetrate the tissues, but this kind of lesion is also quite dangerous. In the case of severe injury, fracture of the ribs is not excluded, as a result of which, their fragments will fall into localized organs nearby. In addition, against the background of closed wounds, internal bleeding can occur, as well as ruptures of internal organs and blood vessels.
A bruised abdomen is much less dangerous. In the case of a minor injury, the symptoms of the pathology disappear within 2-3 weeks, but this is provided that first aid is provided for injuring the abdomen.
Symptomatology
Before providing first aid for injuries to the abdomen, it is necessary to determine the severity of the lesion. To do this, you need to familiarize yourself with the symptoms that bother the person.
Among the symptoms present in injured abdomen, the following are distinguished:
- Bleeding. If there is an open wound, tissue damage occurs, resulting in bleeding in the affected area. Blood color may vary depending on the type and depth of injury. In the case of shallow lesions, the blood has a bright red color, this signals a rupture of arterial vessels. In case of heavy bleeding, damage to the parenchymal organs can be assumed.
- Pain syndrome. The intensity and nature of the pain is associated with the location of the lesion and whether the internal organs are affected. It is worth noting that some patients do not immediately feel pain, which is a rather dangerous moment, since the pain syndrome immediately makes itself felt in the presence of internal bleeding or if internal organs are damaged.
- Swelling. In the affected area, the skin often swells and acquires a bluish color.
- Loss of consciousness. This manifestation indicates serious damage to the abdominal organs.
- Bloating. A sign of pancreatic damage.
- Feeling nauseous and vomiting. Symptom characteristic of various injuries.
First Aid Quick Start Guide
The main aspect of first aid for injuries to the abdomen is that the patient is strictly forbidden to give food and water, even in that situation if he asks for it. It is allowed only to clean his lips with clean water, if there is a need, then you can rinse your mouth, but the liquid can not be swallowed.
It is strictly forbidden to give a person painkillers, only an emergency doctor should do this.
First aid for injuring the abdomen includes such manipulations:
- The victim should be laid horizontally on a flat surface, legs bent at the knees. It is worth noting that if a person is fixed on a traumatic object, his position cannot be changed until the doctors arrive.
- If there is no traumatic element in the wound area, then bleeding must be stopped. In the presence of foreign objects, including those that injured a person, it is strictly forbidden to remove them, as this can trigger increased bleeding.
- A bandage is applied.
- The victim is wrapped in a blanket or warm clothing.
- If a person is conscious, then it is necessary to talk with him before the ambulance arrives.
Wound treatment
During first aid for penetrating wounds of the abdomen and for other types of injuries, it is recommended to clean the wound with a cloth, gauze or bandage soaked in any antiseptic solution, in hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate. If these drugs are not at hand, then you can use any alcohol-containing products.
Handling the lesion is necessary from the edges of the wound around the perimeter. The tissue should be abundantly dampened in the medicine. In some situations, the treatment of wounds is carried out twice. It is strictly forbidden to pour antiseptic agents into the wound.
If there is such a possibility, then the skin in the affected area must be treated with zelenka or iodine, this will help prevent secondary infection. After these manipulations, a bandage is applied to the victim, and he is transported to the clinic. During a trip to the affected area, it is recommended to attach something cold.
Help in case of penetrating wound of the abdomen
First aid for penetrating wounds of the abdomen is that if a person is unconscious, then you do not need to try to bring him to his senses, it will be enough to lay the victim on a flat surface and bend his knees. A roller made of clothes is placed under the legs, and the victim’s head is thrown back and turned slightly to one side, this provides free access of oxygen.
It is strictly forbidden to try to feel the wound in the abdomen or to reveal its depth by lowering the fingers or hands there. In case of heavy bleeding, it must be stopped, it is determined by its type, and then the wounds are treated and cleaned of all kinds of dirt.
First aid for penetrating wounds to the chest, abdomen and surrounding areas is similar.
Help in case of a gunshot wound
First aid for a gunshot wound in the abdomen is to examine the victim to detect the bullet's outlet. If it is present, then it, together with the input one, needs to be processed and a bandage applied from above. If there are several wounds in the abdomen, then they need to be treated all, it is recommended to start with the most dangerous.
If a bullet remains in the wound, then you can’t try to extract it yourself, since this will provoke an increase in the development of bleeding.
Can a foreign object be removed from a wound?
If there is an object in the wound that triggered the injury, then in no case can it be removed. This is because this element closes the affected vessels, exerting a pinching effect on them and preventing bleeding. Removing this item is only possible in a hospital setting where doctors can immediately provide assistance.
Help in the event of a foreign body in the wound
In the case when the object that caused the injury is quite long, it is recommended to carefully trim it so that the surface is no more than 10-15 centimeters. If it is not possible to shorten the object, then it is better, in general, not to touch it and hand over the injured to the doctors as it is. In the case of providing first aid for injuring the abdomen with the remaining foreign object, it must be immobilized, for this long pieces of any material or a bandage are used.
The length of the material for dressing should be at least 2 meters. If the listed elements are not at hand, it is recommended to connect several scarves or ties together to create a ribbon of the required length.
After the foreign object is fixed, the person needs to be placed in a half-sitting position, the legs are bent at the knees. Next, you need to wrap the patient in a warm blanket or clothes. These manipulations are performed regardless of the time of year.
If the object that caused the injury went so deep that it is not visible on the surface, then you do not even need to try to remove it, these actions must be performed by qualified doctors. In this situation, first aid for injuring the abdomen is carried out in the same way as in the presence of an open wound.
Do not let the patient fall into a state of shock.
First aid if organs drop out of the wound
If the victim is in a swoon, then you must definitely throw his head back, and then slightly turn his side, this will provide free access of oxygen to the lungs.
Next, fixation of the internal organs.
After the internal organs are fixed, the victim must be given a sitting position, the legs are necessarily bent at the knees. It is recommended to attach ice wrapped in tissue to the affected area. Then the victim is wrapped in a blanket.
The person is transported to the hospital in a sitting position. During a trip to the hospital, the deposited organs must be constantly wetted with water, it is strictly forbidden to allow them to dry out. If the organs are in the bag, then you can add water there with a simple syringe. If they are under a cloth, dressings should be periodically replenished with water.
It should be remembered that if the organs begin to dry out, then their necrosis will occur and to save the patient's life they will need to be removed.
The first way to fix organs during first aid in case of abdominal injury
In a situation where internal organs have fallen from a wound in the abdomen, you should not even try to return them to their original position. If several internal organs have fallen out, it is recommended that they be moved as close to each other as possible so that they occupy a smaller area. Further, all organs are very neatly placed in a clean bag or piece of tissue, the edges of which are glued to the skin of the injured person with a patch or tape.
The main thing in this situation is to maximize protect internal organs from the effects of the external environment and protect them from possible damage.
The second way to fix the organs
If the first way to isolate internal organs is not possible, it is recommended to prepare several rollers made of bandages or clean cloth. Further, the fallen organs from all sides are covered with these rollers and covered with a clean cloth or a piece of gauze from above. Then, the resulting structure is neatly attached to the wound area, it is worthwhile to refrain from tight tightening.
When performing all the presented manipulations, the life of the victim will be saved.