A cut or scrape can be disturbing because nobody likes the sight of blood. Remain calm, control the bleeding, clean the wound, apply a dressing, and watch for infection.How do I treat minor bleeding?

1. Remove all clothing covering the wound so that you can see precisely from where the bleeding is coming.
2. Apply firm pressure directly to the wound with the heel of the hand, using the cleanest available thick bandage or cloth compress.
• Hold pressure for a minimum of 10 minutes. A scalp wound tends to bleed freely, and may require prolonged pressure.
• Wear latex gloves if possible. If you are allergic to latex, use other [e.g., nonlatex synthetic] nonpermeable gloves.
3. Apply dry cold packs or ice packs over the compress (not under the compress) to help slow the bleeding.
4. Have the victim lie down and elevate the bleeding part above the level of the heart.
5. If direct pressure to the wound does not stop the bleeding, check quickly to see that you are pressing precisely over the bleeding point. Simply piling on more bandages may not solve the problem if you are applying pressure in the wrong spot.
6. Never apply pressure so tightly that circulation beyond the dressing is compromised (as indicated by blue fingertips or toes, or by numbness and tingling).

How to treat a cut or scrape.

Soap and water scrubbing with a good final rinse should be followed with an antiseptic ointment or cream, then a sterile nonadherent dressing.

1. If the wound is not bleeding badly, first clean the wound until every last speck of dirt is removed.
• The best way is to irrigate away the dirt and bacteria. The irrigating stream should be forceful enough to dislodge the foreign material without injuring the tissues beneath the stream or forcing harmful material deeper into the wound. Use the cleanest disinfected water available.
• Scrubbing and irrigation will often cause a wound to continue bleeding or to begin bleeding again. Stop the bleeding with an absorbent gauze held with pressure against the wound (see above).
2. Do not pour tincture of iodine, rubbing alcohol, merthiolate, mercurochrome, or any other over-the-counter antiseptic into the wound, unless it is a bite wound from a potentially rabid animal.
3. Close the wound as best possible. Most cuts do not involve tissue loss, so that edges fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.
• Because of the infection risk, don't close a wound tightly unless absolutely necessary.
• Bring the wound edges together with paper tape with adhesive specifically made for wound closure, or with butterfly bandages.
• Place the first piece of tape at the midpoint of the wound to make the opposite sides match up properly, and to take tension off the wound while the remainder of the closure is completed.
• The second fastener should then "halve the halves" so that the wound is now quartered, and so forth until the closure is complete.
4. Apply a thin layer of antiseptic ointment or cream, and cover the woundwith a sterile dressing.

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