Medical staff said that not all wounds can use band aids. Bandages are only suitable for small wounds with shallow wounds. If it is an animal bite or a deep wound, it is not recommended to close the wound.
Band aid is almost one of the necessary first-aid products for every family, but recently, this "all-purpose adhesive" has made a big disaster. A 4-year-old girl in Suzhou needs amputation because her parents mistakenly used a band aid when her finger was injured, which eventually resulted in her finger necrosis, the Yangtze Evening News reported.
Clinically, orthopedics and emergency department often treat some cases of wound infection caused by the wrong use of bandages. Although it is not to the point of amputation, there are many patients with wound extension and festering. Unfortunately, people have not paid attention to the misunderstanding of the use of band aids.
Bandages for small and shallow wounds
In general, band aid is mainly used for small and shallow wounds, especially for cuts with neat and clean incision, little bleeding and no need of stitching, such as knife cut, cut, glass scratch, etc. However, you cannot use band aid in the following 7 situations.
A small, deep wound Small and deep wound bandages are not conducive to the discharge of secretions and pus in the wound. It is easy for bacteria to grow and propagate, cause or aggravate infection, especially for anaerobic bacteria such as tetanus.
Scald. Bandages should not be used for skin ulceration and running water after scalding, otherwise secretion will promote infection.
There are foreign bodies in the wound If there is any foreign body in the wound, the bandage should not be applied immediately. Instead, the wound should be cleaned in the hospital or the foreign body should be removed before bandaging. Some wounds are seriously polluted and even infected, so we can't use band aids to cover the wounds, otherwise it will cause or aggravate the infection.
Stabbed by a nail If the fingers and toes are hurt by nails and blades, especially when there is rust on the nails and blades, bandages can not be used to simply bandage things. Be sure to clean first, then keep the wound exposed to prevent infection, and get to the hospital for tetanus vaccine as soon as possible.
Animal scratch and bite The wounds scratched and bitten by animals, if bandages are used, will cause the bacteria to accumulate or spread in the wounds. Therefore, no matter it is bitten or scratched by pets at home or small animals outside, you should first wash it with soapy water several times, then disinfect it with Iodophor to expose the wound, and inject rabies vaccine into the hospital.
Various skin boils Bandages are not conducive to the absorption and drainage of pus, but conducive to the growth and reproduction of bacteria. Therefore, bandages cannot be used for boils.
Allergic to adhesive tape People who have a history of adhesive allergy are not uncommon in clinic. The specific manifestations are pruritus, redness and many small blisters on the skin. Therefore, people who have a history of allergy to bandages or adhesive tapes should choose other hemostasis methods or choose special anti allergy adhesive tapes.
How to use band aid correctly
1. Disinfect simply before pasting.
Many people's first thought after being injured is that the wound can't be stained with water, so they don't do any treatment for the wound. They directly paste a band aid and think that the medicine in the inner layer of the band aid can play a role in disinfection.
In fact, before using the band aid, first check whether there is any dirt left in the wound. If there is any unclean matter, clean the wound with sterilized saline, and then apply the band aid. If the wound is punctured by iron nails and other things, it should be treated in hospital immediately, and tetanus antitoxin should be injected at the same time.
2. Change the band aid at least once a day.
After opening the band aid package, avoid contaminating the drug surface. When applying, the medicine must be aimed at the wound, and slightly pressurized on both sides of the wound after the application. Note when using band aids:
First, observe the change of the wound at any time. If there is pulsatile pain similar to pulse beating or secretion overflowing at the wound, open it in time to observe whether there is swelling and hot pain around the wound. If yes, it means that the wound has been infected, please call a doctor immediately.
The second is to protect the wound, do not often press the wound with your hands, and the local area of the wound should be less active to prevent collision, so as not to crack the wound.
Third, the use of band aids should not be too long, at least a day for a change.
3. Do not circle your fingers.
Many people are used to putting a band aid around their fingers after they get hurt. In fact, there is a certain danger in using band aid to bind fingers and toes. If the bandage is too tight, it is easy to cause the blood flow of fingers and toes is not smooth, and the wound healing speed is slowed down. This is the case for 4-year-old girls in Suzhou. The cloth strip and cowhide tendon outside the band aid affect the blood circulation.
4. Use band aid with medicine, be careful of allergy.
Generally speaking, the effect of band aid with medicine and without medicine is similar, and those with medicine will cause allergy instead. After applying the band aid, if you feel burning, you should stop using it immediately.
5. Valid for 3 years.
Take a look at the outer packaging before use. Bandages over 3 years old cannot be sterile. Once expired, they should be discarded as soon as possible.
6. Gauze is more reliable than band aid.
If it is not an emergency, gauze should be used instead of band aid. Compared with bandages, gauze is more breathable and absorbs exudate, which is not easy to cause local moisture and infection. Generally, it's OK to take a gauze 1-2cm larger than the wound. After applying the medicine, it's covered on the wound, and then it's bound with a breathable anti allergy adhesive tape.
Try to keep the wound in a clean and dry state. If the gauze used to bandage the wound is contaminated or soaked in water, it should be replaced in time. After the wound is disinfected, it should be bandaged again. If there is swelling, pain, exudation and other phenomena, it indicates that the wound has been infected and should be treated in the hospital.