First Aid Kit Builder: First aid for cuts, scrapes, burns, and lacerations

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Wound Care: Your Essential First Aid Care Guide

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First Aid Kit Builder

Accidents happen. Whether it's a minor cut, scrape, or burn, or something more serious, do you have what you need to give first aid? Be prepared with this handy tool from WebMD. Tell us a few things about your family, and you'll get a list of items that a well-stocked first aid kit should have -- as well as some suggestions on how to keep kits handy.

1. How many people of each age live in your home?

Older Adult (over 65)

Adult

Kids age 11-17

Kids age 2-10

2. Which of these activities do you or your family do at least once a month?

3. Does anyone in your family have a history of a severe allergy reaction or anaphylaxis?

4. Does anyone in your family have sensitive skin or an allergy to latex?

5. Does anyone in your family smoke?

6. Does anyone in your family do these activities?

7. How often do you cook or grill at home?

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Personal Summary

Next: Bandaging a Wound

Please enter the information requested in the About Your Family tab, then submit the form to return here.

Next: Bandaging a Wound

Bandaging a Wound

Next: When to See a Doctor

When to See a Doctor

Infection and Bleeding

Some obvious times to see the doctor might be if you have a compromised immune system, your wound gets infected, or there is excessive bleeding. But what are the signs of infection and how much bleeding is too much?

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on April 12, 2010

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This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information:

Bandaging a Wound

Stop the Bleeding
With clean hands, and using a sterile bandage or clean cloth, apply firm pressure directly to the wound. If blood soaks through, don’t remove the bandage. Cover with another bandage and apply more pressure. Raise an arm or leg with a wound above the heart to slow bleeding.
Clean the Wound
You don’t need to use an antiseptic to clean a wound. Rinse a cut with clear, running water. Rinse a puncture wound (from a knife or nail) for at least five minutes before washing surrounding skin with soap. Remove any dirt or debris with sterile tweezers.
Cleaning a Bite
Immediately and thoroughly wash the wound with plenty of soap and warm water to remove as much dirt and saliva -- and the bacteria they carry -- as possible. Scrub the bite well and rinse with water for several minutes to make sure it is clean and all soap is rinsed out. For a human bite, call your doctor right away. For an animal bite, get emergency help if the bite is large or from a cat, monkey, raccoon, or bat, or a wild animal.
It Doesn't Have to Sting
If it stings, it must be working, right? Wrong. Solutions such as hydrogen peroxide or iodine can wipe out healthy cells, slowing healing. A thin layer of antibacterial ointment and a bandage will keep a wound clean and moist, and prevent infection.
Burn Care: Hold the Butter
For a burn, don't use ice, butter, or petroleum jelly. They can cause infection or injure the skin. Instead, run cool water over a burn or soak it in cool water for at least five minutes. Then apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment and cover loosely with a sterile gauze bandage. Don't pop any blisters.
The Truth About Scabs
Scabs are your body's way of making its own bandage, so let them be. Don't pick at a scab, no matter how tempting. If you go to change the bandage and it's stuck to the scab, soak the dressing in water to make it easier to remove.
How Not to Clean a Wound
Don't use products with alcohol or iodine to cleanse a wound. They can damage the tissue and delay healing. Mercurochrome contains mercury, which is toxic. Stick with running water, an antibiotic ointment, and a bandage.
Re-cleanse and Change the Bandage
A wound should be kept clean and moist. Usually after the first 24 hours, you can cleanse minor, non-surgical wounds with water and a washcloth and change bandages daily. If a bandage gets wet or dirty, or fluids soak through it, change it promptly so that it doesn’t stick to the wound. If it does stick, wet it and coax it off gently.
Bandage Small Scrapes and Cuts
Apply an adhesive strip bandage or sterile gauze and adhesive tape to small scrapes that may get dirty or irritated. If there is no infection, you can flush a small cut with normal saline or cool water and then close it with a butterfly bandage or tape, or thin adhesive strips. A butterfly bandage is a narrow adhesive strip that flares at the sides, resembling a butterfly. It is put across a gaping cut to hold the edges together while it is healing.
How to Wrap a Bandage
To wrap an area such as a hand, wrist, elbow, or knee with an elastic bandage or gauze:
- Hold the loose end in place with one hand.
- Wrap the bandage around each area to be covered at least twice, overlapping the layers.
- Trim the end and fasten with metal clips, tape, or Velcro.
Air Heal or Cover a Wound?
Some experts believe that exposing a wound to air helps it heal. But keeping a wound moist and covered helps it heal faster and reduces inflammation and scarring. Use an adhesive strip or sterile gauze and adhesive tape.
Tips for Surgical Incision Care
First, follow the advice of your doctor. If approved by your surgeon:
- Keep the dressing dry for the first 24 hours.
- After that, take a shower instead of a bath if there are stitches or skin tape on the incision.
- If your bandage gets bloody, replace it with clean dry gauze or another bandage.
- Carefully loosen tape when you remove dressing. If it sticks to the wound, wet it to loosen and replace the dressing.

When to See a Doctor

Some Signs of Infection in a Cut or Bite
- Increased pain, tenderness and swelling around the wound
- Increased redness around the wound
- Bleeding or excess oozing
- Fever
- Pus
- Wound not healing
- Foul odor or discharge from the wound
Signs of Infection in a Surgical Wound
In addition to the signs listed above:
- The incision edges start to separate rather than heal
- The incision gets larger or deeper
- It looks dried out or dark
- Drainage from or around the incision increases or doesn't decrease after 3 to 5 days
- Drainage becomes foul smelling, cloudy or pus-like
Signs of a Burn Infection
The skin around a burn is often red and warm, making it hard to tell if it’s infected. Other signs of a burn infection are:
- Color changes in the burn area or surrounding skin
- Thickening of the burned skin
- Purple discoloration, especially with swelling
- Greenish discharge or pus
- Fever
Serious Injury
Get immediate medical help for:
- Any back, neck, or eye injury
- A broken bone
- A shoulder, hip, or elbow dislocation
- A severed limb
- A bite from a scorpion, poisonous snake (copperhead, water moccasin, rattlesnake, or coral snake), or black widow or brown recluse spider
Bleeding
Get immediate emergency help for bleeding if:
- The wound is spurting blood.
- It doesn’t stop after 20 minutes of applied pressure.
- It soaks through bandages.
- You take a blood-thinning medication or have a bleeding disorder
Pain
Call your doctor right away if:
- You have severe pain in a wound or bite.
- A wound becomes more painful after the second day.
- You have chest pain after an insect bite or abdominal pain after a spider bite.
- You have severe pain despite taking pain medication for a burn.
Puncture Wound
Call your doctor to see if you need a tetanus shot or if the wound:
- Is large or deep
- Is from a human or animal bite
- Has an object such as a knife or stick or other debris inside (don't remove the object)
- Shows signs of infection
Animal or Human Bite
Any bite that breaks the skin has a high risk of infection. Clean the bite immediately. You may need treatment with antibiotics. See a doctor for any human bite. See a doctor for an animal bite if:
- It is on the face, neck, hands, wrists, or feet.
- It was from a cat, monkey, raccoon, or bat, or an unknown or wild animal (get emergency help right away)
- You don't know whether you need a tetanus shot or not
- There are signs of infection.
- The bite is deep or large.
Allergy to Insect Bites
See your doctor right away if you have signs of an allergic reaction: mild nausea, intestinal cramps, diarrhea, or swelling around the area larger than two inches.
Call 911 if you have symptoms of a severe allergic reaction:
- Chest pain or rapid heartbeat
- Nausea, cramps, or vomiting
- Face or mouth swelling
- Problems swallowing or breathing
- Faintness, dizziness, or confusion
- Hives
Second- or Third-Degree Burn
Second- and third-degree burns extend below the outer layer of skin. All third-degree burns require emergency medical attention. So do second-degree burns that are:
- More than two to three inches wide
- On the hands, feet, face, groin, buttocks, or a major joint
- Caused by electricity, chemicals
Stitches
Stitches are used to close an open wound and reduce scarring. Call your doctor if your wound is deep or wide, you can't get the edges to stay together with a bandage, or the edges are jagged. Stitches are also used to hold together wounds on parts of the body that stretch and move a lot.
A Tetanus Shot
Teens and adults may need a tetanus shot if they or their doctor don't know how long it's been since they got a booster shot, or if they didn't get the full vaccine series as a child. It's especially important to get immediate attention if the wound is a puncture wound or is dirty or was caused by rusty metal.
A Wound That Doesn't Heal
Sometimes, a wound may not heal because it is infected or isn't being cared for properly. Some conditions, like diabetes, may also make it harder for wounds to heal. If a burn or wound has not healed after two weeks, you may need to see a wound care specialist.