The most important treatment after a stab is to avoid removing the knife or any object inserted into the body, as there is a high risk of aggravating bleeding or causing more damage to the internal organs, thus increasing the risk of death.
So, when someone is stabbed, what they should do is:
- If during the period when the ambulance does not arrive the person becomes very pale.
- Cold or dizzy.
- You have to lie down and try to lift your legs above the level of your heart.
- So that blood can reach the brain more easily.
However, this can also increase wound bleeding, so it’s very important to keep the pressure around the wound, at least until the medical team arrives.
In addition, if the person has been stabbed more than once, the bleeding wound must first be treated to try to stop a life-threatening haemorrhage.
In case the knife has already been removed from the body, the thing to do is to apply pressure to the wound with a clean cloth, to try to stop the bleeding until medical help arrives.
If the stabbed person stops breathing, basic vital maintenance with cardiac compression should be put in place immediately so that the heart continues to beating. Here’s how to perform heart compressions correctly:
If someone else is available, you should ask to keep the pressure on the wound while compressing it, to prevent blood from flowing through the wound.
After bleeding and internal organ injuries, infection is a leading cause of death in stabbed people. For this reason, if the bleeding has stopped, after applying pressure at the site, it is very important to take care of the wound. To do this, you need:
When caring for the wound, it is very important, if possible, to wear gloves not only to prevent the transmission of bacteria to the wound, but also to protect yourself from contact with blood. Here’s how to make a bandage correctly.
Even after bleeding and bandaging the wound, it is very important to expect medical help or go to the hospital to assess if there is any major organs affected and if you need to start using an antibiotic, for example.