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This First-Aid Technique Could Be The Difference Between Life And Death

This First-Aid Technique Could Be The Difference Between Life And Death

First Aid

Nothing is more important than your health.

Poor health can derail preparation plans quicker than just about anything.

That’s why it’s important to know this first-aid skill to make sure your health isn’t in jeopardy.

Hygiene and sanitation are two things we take for granted in contemporary society.

However, a lack of cleanliness used to be deadly.

Plagues that claimed millions of lives across Medieval Europe were a result of unsanitary conditions.

The greatest gains in life expectancy have been a result of modern hygiene and sanitation, which significantly diminish the chances of infection.

But that doesn’t mean we’re completely safe from catching life-threatening infections.

Patients even catch infections in sterile hospital conditions after surgery.

One medical study showed that the third most common cause of post-surgical death is sepsis, which is when chemicals in the body go into overdrive to fight infection and cause severe inflammation in multiple organs.

This is why it’s important to know how to tell if a wound is infected when you cut yourself.

First, if you cut yourself, wash the wound with soap and water to make sure bad bacteria does not get into your bloodstream.

Remove any dirt or debris you find in the wound.

If the debris is large, use sterilized tweezers to remove it instead of trying to rub it away with a cotton ball or cloth.

That could push dirt deeper into the cut.

Use an antibiotic cream to fight infection and cover the wound with appropriate bandages.

Change the dressing on the wound frequently.

When looking for signs of infection, check to see if there’s a lot of swelling and redness around the wound.

Beware of warmth in the wounded area as well as pain that’s abnormal for the type of cut you suffered.

For example, if you nick your finger with a box cutter and you start to feel a searing pain, that could be a clear sign of infection.

Also, be wary of drainage and pus coming from the wound.

You don’t want these symptoms to fester, but if they do, there could be clear signs that you need immediate hospital care.

If the tissue around the wound has turned black and begins to smell, that could be a sign of necrosis, which means the flesh around the wound is dead.

This is incredibly serious and requires immediate medical attention.

The same goes for signs of red lines traveling from the wound toward your heart.

This is likely a sign of septicemia, which means the infection has poisoned your blood and his traveling throughout your body.

Also, seek a doctor if you begin to develop a fever along with diarrhea, a rash breakout, aches and pains, and vomiting.

This could mean that you have toxic shock.

Letting an infection worsen can also lead to all kinds of grave circulation problems.

Trying to “tough it out” is rarely a good strategy.

You don’t want to gamble with your health.

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