How to care for a car fall injury – initial review
In the streets of Vietnam, motorbikes are the main means of transportation, so it is inevitable that accidents will happen, even if it is undesirable. When an accident occurs, open wounds/scratches can occur on any part of the body. Especially in the area of elbows, knees… The open wounds caused by car falls can be light scratches to the skin but can also be very serious cuts and wounds.
Here are some levels of injury from a fall:
- First degree open wound: is the extent of skin damage on the outermost layer, the outermost layer of skin has been slightly scratched, slightly red, may be slightly swollen due to direct skin contact with the road surface, little bleeding.
- Second degree open wound: deeper wound, more bleeding. The area in the wound may be inflamed, swollen, and painful.
- 3rd degree open wound: The extent of the wound’s damage has deepened into the tissues and cells below the dermis. With this level 3 open wound, you may bleed a lot, the pain is also more intense, it is difficult to stop the bleeding. For safe and effective handling, the victim should be taken to a medical facility for care, for hemostasis, stitches and intensive treatment…
How to take care of car fall injuries – treatment measures
With grade 1 and 2 mild injuries, you can directly treat the wound properly at home. Open wounds caused by car falls will normally be exposed to and rubbed with the road surface, so they will contain a lot of soil, sand, and bacteria on the road. When treating a wound, follow these steps:
Step 1: Wash your hands and medical tools
The first rule that cannot be ignored in wound care and treatment is to wash your hands with soap / antiseptic solution and medical tools before proceeding. This will help prevent cross-contamination from hands or medical instruments entering the wound.
Medical instruments boiled in hot water for about 20 minutes / soaked in iodine alcohol solution. If possible, use an extra layer of sterile medical gloves.
Step 2: Wash the wound under clean running water
This will help remove all dirt, mud caused by the body in contact with the road surface. Can be washed by soaking the affected area in a basin of clean water and then gently rinsing the wound area. But an easier way is that you can put the wound directly under clean running water to let the flow wash away the dirt.
In case clean water cannot be found, bottled drinking water can be used and washed several times on the car wound.
After cleaning, use previously disinfected medical tools, remove any remaining foreign objects that cannot be washed away by water, including excess skin that is scratched from the wound. . Do it gently and carefully to avoid causing more pain and bleeding. If the wound is bleeding, you can use a cotton ball soaked in physiological saline and gently wipe it, then hold the cotton tightly for about 2 – 5 minutes to stop the bleeding.
After washing and removing the foreign body with water, the wound is still not clean. You need to add an additional step of disinfecting with a suitable specialized solution to clean the damaged skin and remove the biofilm of bacteria.
Note when washing the wound
- It is not recommended to use strong corrosive antiseptic solutions such as hydrogen peroxide, red medicine, etc., because the antiseptic effect of these solutions is strong, but it is easy to cause new tissues and cells to die, causing pain. strong on the wound.
- Do not sprinkle antibiotics directly on the open wound when falling from a car, because it can cause allergies, destroy new cells, and slow healing.
- Do not apply unscientific folk remedies such as using fish sauce. soy sauce, egg whites… will cause very dangerous infections.
Reasonable diet
In addition to the above wound treatment steps, you need to add a variety of nutrients to help heal the wound and limit some unused foods during the period of skin wound.
Some foods should – should not be eaten when injured in a car accident
- Should eat: foods from healthy proteins, foods rich in vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins of groups B, C, E, A, D, … minerals such as zinc, iron … Food group provides a lot of water and has cool properties. : fruits, vegetables
- Limit eating hot spicy foods, do not eat beef during the wound healing process, do not eat foods made from sticky rice, chicken skin, water spinach …
A scientific rest and gentle movement will help the body’s metabolic ability to function normally as well as prevent disorders, helping the wound-healing mechanism take place more smoothly. Get enough sleep, limit the use of alcohol – beer or stimulants will help heal damaged tissues and nourish new cells to help wounds recover quickly.