A field dressing or battle dressing is a kind of bandage intended to be carried by soldiers for immediate use in case of a wound, usually a gunshot wound. It consists of a large gauze or absorbent pad attached to the middle of an elastic strip used to fasten or hold the pad in place. Field dressing injuries is meant to protect the injury or wound and prevent further complications. They would be able to clean and bandage themselves up so not to bleed out and move on to seek medical attention before it got infected or a limb went gangrene. In this guide, I will explain how to field dress your injury, not necessarily a gunshot wound, with limited supplies and without having a specialized kit for the situation.
Types of wounds
You ask what kind of wound types there are? There are 4 main categories of wound types. One worse than others in terms of pain and another that is worse in terms of being dangerous.
- Abrasions. An abrasion occurs when you skin rubs roughly against a hard surface leaving a minor bruise or brush burn. It may bleed a little and may be annoyingly painful but they can usually be treated at home with a large bandage or wrap, will develop a scab and heal in a few weeks time.
laceration wound - Lacerations. A laceration is a cut that goes all the way through the skin. Deep lacerations go beneath the skin layer through the fat layer or to the muscle layer and may need attention right away.
- Punctures. A puncture is a forceful injury caused by a sharp pointed object that penetrates the skin. It is usually deeper and narrower than a cut or scrape and can be very dangerous if not fatal.
- Avulsions. An avulsion is a fracture injury to the bone specifically in a location where tendon or ligaments connect to the bone. For the sake of this article we will be referring to the breaking of a bone specifically. However, avulsion fractures can occur anywhere in the body, but they are more common in certain places.
Cleaning and sterilizing
Cleaning and sterilizing is the most important part of the dressing process. Caring for you wound properly can mean the difference in a healthy healing and mending injury or a nasty infection that leads to amputation.
There is not necessarily a need for alcohol or hydrogen peroxide if you can find a source of clean water. Washing the wound off with soap if possible and gently rubbing it with a clean cloth of some sort and rinsing it again often can keep it clean enough. However, if you have isopropyl alcohol it will work better than hydrogen peroxide to sterilize the wound.
If you have no access to clean water or medical sterilizers, a slightly unpleasant way to clean you wound is you own urine. It has been proven to clean the wound and is believed to sterilize as well as it comes from the body sterile.
After cleaning and sterilizing the wound, keeping it moist will make it heal faster. Petroleum jelly will work if its handy but antibiotic ointment is recommended. A dry and scabbed over injury will heal more slowly.
How to care for you wounds
All Injuries or wounds should be handled and treated with cleanliness as to reduce the risk of infection. Keeping a dressing wet would promote faster healing and absorption of dead skin and organic debris.
- Abrasions – Beginning with hands that are as clean as you can get them, Clean you abrasion off with some warm water and if you have it, alcohol. If it is not bleeding then it’s better to leave it alone. If bleeding, apply pressure with cloth or bandage until it stops bleeding. If it is more than a minor cut or scrape, then cover it with a bandage or if you don’t have a medical bandage you can tie a cloth around it loosely. After a day or two you can uncover it and let it heal naturally.
- Lacerations – Clean the wound the same as you would abrasions and cover with a bandage or clean cloth. Clean daily or as often as possible. If you can, use alcohol. After a few days you can uncover the laceration to promote healing. If not closed up you have a higher risk of infection. Suturing (stitching) is the preferred method of closing up a laceration. You can also use superglue if you have it. It might be something worth keeping in a first aid or emergency kit. Even duct tape will work in this situation but if you have nothing else, tying a cloth around it will be the best you can do and will help. Closing up the wound will keep bacteria out and help prevent extensive scarring.
dressing a knee wound - Punctures – As with other injuries or wounds, with clean hands you will need to stop the bleeding by applying pressure. Once the bleeding has stopped or substantially slowed you will be able to clean and wash the wound with clean water for about five to ten minutes. If possible use alcohol and antibiotic ointments. If the puncture went really deep you should probably head to a hospital to make sure no vital organs were injured. If not life threatening, you can cover it with a clean cloth and tie another cloth around it to keep the first cloth in place. From there, all you can do is clean and change dressing regularly to watch for infection.
- Avulsions – Treatment of an avulsion fracture typically involves resting and icing the affected area followed by controlled exercises that restores range of motion, improves muscle strength and promotes bone healing. In this case you might be out in the field where you need to move and get somewhere safe or get home for instance. If you leg is broken you will want to get it splinted fast. By finding something like a strong tree branch, strong enough to tie to you leg to support a break, you are applying a splint and therefore restoring only some of you range of motion.
Different types of dressings
There are certain plants or herbs that can be made into a poultice, however don’t go trying to make a poultice without knowing what you doing as you can accidentally use a poisonous plant or other substance that you thought was safe or something else. A guide to poultices can be found here.
In the field most dressings will be made of cloth usually torn from someones shirt, jacket or other article of clothing and applied in a hurry. It is important to take steps to clean even in an emergency because not taking these steps can make things much worse.
Gauze dressings are made of woven or non- woven materials and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. They are the most commonly used bandage dressings.
Alginate dressings are made of certain types of seaweed, can absorb 10-20 times their weight in exudate and are manufactured in a wide range of products including flat sheets, ropes and ribbons.
Dressing with care
Caring for the nature of the wound is paramount. If not done right because you are in the field and not close to medical facilities can lead to further complications and is not pleasant. Like I have stated above, Some injuries can be life threatening and some are more of a nuisance. Realizing that alcohol and ointment can’t always be around, it is important to at least have or find a clean source of water to clean wounds frequently, however I suggest that you keep a first aid or emergency kit handy.
I hope this article was helpful. If you have any questions, comments or anything to add please feel free to do so in the comment box below.
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