Treating wounds is not my cup of tea, leave alone the sight of blood. Unfortunately, hunting isn’t as rosy as it may seem. And someone can easily sustain a fatal wound when you are out hunting with them.
So what do you do? I love hunting, and when it comes to hunting, you are your brother’s keeper. What this means is when out in the wild, you’ll only rely on the next person.
As such, even those who don’t love the right of blood like me must take heart and help a loved one in case of an accident.
So you need to help a hunting companion with a deep, open chest wound. What should you do first?
Deep Open Chest Wound
Giving first aid to someone with an open chest wound is something that I have done before. Thanks to the deep research that I did. In this article, I will give you a detailed answer to this question.
When a pal, hunting partner, or someone gets a deep open wound on the chest, follow this simple procedure for your first aid.
- First, open the palm of your hand
- Spread it out and use it to cover the wound
- Let someone help you to locate the bandage (use the other freehand)
- Spread out the sterile gauze and use it to cover the wound
- You can use a clean cloth, clean plastic, or even a foil
- Ensure that you achieve an air-tight seal from the wound cover
- Now hold the sterile gauze in place by using a bandage or an adhesive tape
- Transport the victim to the nearest hospital while keeping the injured side facing down.
- Listen to the victim’s breathing while transporting him or her
- If there is a sign of trouble breathing, quickly remove the holding bandage and replace
To respond immediately to an open chest wound, you should cover the open wound using the palm of your hand. Make sure that you press it harder until the bandage is found. Your intention is to try and create an air-tight seal.
When you do that, it helps in stopping the bleeding so long as the pressure that you have applied is higher compared to the blood pressure that exists inside your blood vessel.
Applying such an amount of pressure can again slow down the bleeding, which then enables quick clotting of the blood. If the blood clots, then there won’t be any more bleeding.
Treating a Sucking Chest Wound
While the procedure above talks about attending to an open chest wound, you may have an open chest wound that sucks the blood in. How do you attend to this? What is the first thing that you should do?
In case you’ve got a sucking open chest wound, you can follow this next procedure to provide a clean first aid.
- Find a flat but impermeable patch
- Make sure the patch is about 3X larger than the wound
- Once you have an impermeable patch, you should sterilize the wound
- Now place the impermeable patch over the wound
- Ake sure it balances on top of the open wound
- Then tape the impermeable patch on three sides
- Leave one side slightly open to allow the air to escape
- Monitor the wound and try to find out if the air is still getting sucked in
- If the air is getting sucked in, make the necessary adjustment
- However, if the air is not getting sucked in, you should transport the victim
- Monitor the victim when transporting them to the hospital closely
- In case the small space that you left is full of blood, clear it by cleaning
- Use a sterilized rag to clear the blood that blocks the air from escaping the lungs
- In case the victim displays any signs of discomfort, you should remove the patch immediately
When looking for an impermeable patch, there are several things that you can use. Some of them include credit cards, cell phones, and plastic wraps.
These are solid and often impermeable depending on the size of the wound that you are attending to.
Again, sterilizing the wound before you close it up is very important. It prevents any entrance of bacteria that would have easily caused an infection.
So keep the wound clean and ensure that you use a sterilized impermeable patch too. Sterilizing both is ideal.
What Signs of Discomfort Can the Victim Display?
When dealing with a sucking open chest wound, you must take proper care. Watch out for any form of discomfort and if you see such signs, remove the impermeable patch that you placed there immediately – the signs of discomfort that you should watch out for include.
- Severe shortness of breath
- Bulging veins around the neck
- Unequal chest size
- Bluing lips, fingers, and neck
All injuries around the chest can be fatal. That’s why they need immediate medical attention. So make sure that you are equipped with this knowledge anytime you are out hunting, hiking, or camping.
Additional Tips
Once the blood flows stalls, it is important thereafter to determine the required medicines. More often than not, painkillers will be needed.
Administer a pain killer in case the victim can swallow anything. Giving painkillers is highly recommended since it will help to provide some kind of relief to the victim.
Again, since the wound might be deep, don’t just rely on the bandage alone. Instead, once the bandage is applied, find some help.
You shouldn’t move the victim in case the wound is a sucking wound unless you have the knowledge on how to do it.
So if you aren’t a medical professional, it is advisable that you wait for help to get there. What this means is that you should call for help once the bandage is in place.
Helpful Tips that You Must Keep In Mind
Before setting out for a hunting trip, there are some things that you should keep in mind. They include the following.
- Make sure that you share your hunting itinerary with a loved one
- Again ensure that you carry your first aid kit with you whenever you are
- Learn a few things about common accidents that take place in the wild
- Have basic training about first aid and how to administer it
- In case you are using guns, you should learn proper gun handling skills
Getting prepared for your hunting trip is very important. One way to do that is to ensure that you take your tie to learn the tips that I have given you here. Find out more and add them to this list too.
FAQs: You Need To Help A Hunting Companion With A Deep Open Chest Wound. What Should You Do First
In case you want to help a pal that has a huge open wound on the chest, here are some of the things that you must keep in mind.
How can I call for help?
Use your satellite radio if you’ve got any. You can also use a mobile phone in case you are in an area with the network. In case you were hunting in a group, you can send one of you to the nearest settlement to ask for help.
Where can I get the emergency contacts if I am hunting in a park?
In case you are hunting in a park, in most cases, you will find the emergency contacts listed in the game park’s instruction manual. If not, you could get them in the park’s entry pamphlet that you will have.
Why should I cover the wound with y palm and later the bandage?
It is advisable to do so since you will require an air-tight cover. This cover ensures that there is limited blood loss. Once the blood loss is controlled, your companion can be moved safely to the nearest health facility.
Conclusion
So you need to help a hunting companion with a deep, open chest wound. What should you do first? It is a good thing that we’ve given you a simple but complete guide to what you should do first.
Even so, the most important thing that you must understand before you start is the severity of the injury. Determine if it is an open gush or a sucking open chest wound.
After understanding the type of wound that you are dealing with, you can then start to administer the necessary first aid routine. Follow the duly procedure so that you don’t miss out on anything.
Make sure that you get the supplies as first as possible. And that’s why it is necessary to have your first aid kit whenever you are out hiking, hunting, or camping too.
In case you are in doubt, it is best to ask. You can always make a call and follow the procedure from someone who is experienced. Call on help while at it so that you save time.
Remember that time is of the essence, and making the right choices is important. If you must do it, get it right from the first try. So relax, take your time, and save a life.