Anytime the skin or mucous membranes are broken, the risk of infection is present.

Also, open wounds usually result in more blood loss than do closed wounds.

Treatments of major open wounds to the body have been discussed in previous lessons. Any open wound, however, can result in serious infection. The following are general procedures used in managing open injuries.

a. Keep the casualty calm and quiet.

b. Preserve any amputated parts.

(1) If the avulsed part is still attached to the body, replace the part in its bed (the wound from which it was torn) and cover the wound with a dressing. The avulsed part may still be receiving blood through the tissue remaining attached to the body.

(2) If the part is no longer attached to the body (amputated), retrieve the amputated part, wrap it in sterile gauze, and evacuate the part with the casualty to the medical treatment facility. If possible, keep the amputated part cool, but do not freeze the part.

c. Apply a dressing to control bleeding and prevent further contamination of the wound. If the wound is a puncture wound, look for both entry and exit wounds.

d. Stabilize any protruding objects (paragraph 8-4).

e. Immobilize the injured body part to reduce pain and further injury.