Call ambulance if

  • Anyone was shot with a gun.
  • An injury penetrates the chest.
  • The person cannot breathe.
  • You cannot stop bleeding.
  • The person is no longer alert.

First aid

  • Protect yourself. Do not get cut or shot while trying to help. Cover your hands with gloves or plastic bags before touching blood.
  • Stop all bleeding. Apply pressure to wounds for at least 10 minutes. Elevate injured areas.
  • Help the person sit or lie down somewhere safe. Monitor for shock, a life-threat caused by severe bleeding.
  • Wash your hands after removing gloves.

Signs of shock

  • Fear or restlessness, then confusion, weakness, and loss of consciousness.
  • Cold sweat: pale, cool, damp skin.
  • Weak, fast pulse.
  • Dropping blood pressure.

First aid for specific injuries

  • If shot, cover every entrance and exit wound with gauze and a gloved hand. Comfort and reassure. Seek immediate emergency care.
    • To help someone through pain and fear, be calm and present, do not leave his side, get him to look into your eyes, talk to him, hold his hand and let him squeeze, massage his hand or arm, sing or chant slogans with him, or pray with him.
    • Even the person cannot respond, he can hear you and can be comforted.
  • Do not remove an impaled object; stabilize impaled object in place. Seek medical care.
  • For nosebleed, do not tilt head backwards; pinch nose until bleeding stops.
  • For eye injury, cover eye and seek care.

Aftercare

After hospital or urgent care, follow provider instructions, not instructions below.

  • Keep wound clean. Wash area gently with soap and water as wound heals.
  • When not washing, keep wound area dry. You can put honey on wound to encourage healing (change honey dressing at least twice daily). Cover with dry sterile gauze pad or clean cloth.
  • Change dressing at least daily or whenever dressing becomes wet or dirty.
  • Do not pick at protective scab.
  • Tetanus booster shot is recommended if you have not had one in 10 years.

Note: Gunshot victims are more likely to survive if they have social support and friendship while they recover.

See doctor for

  • Numbness, weakness, tingling sensation or inability to move beyond the wound.
  • Deep puncture wound.
  • Cut on chest, back, abdomen, face, or hands, unless wound is very small.
  • Animal (or human) bite.
  • Wound cannot be fully cleaned of debris.
  • Wound requiring stitches:
    • Cannot be closed.
    • Deep wound (visible white fatty layer).
    • Jagged or bruised edges; flaps of skin.
    • Wound is in area (like on a joint) where edges may be pulled apart.
  • Signs of infection (these signs do not develop until at least a day after the injury):
    • Increasing redness, pain, swelling or warmth.
    • Red streaking of surrounding skin.
    • Pus draining from area.
    • Tender lumps or swelling in armpit, groin, or neck.
    • Foul odor from area.
    • Generalized chills or fever over 99.5F.
    • Not healing well within 1 to 2 weeks.
  • Immunocompromised, chronic illness such as diabetes, or have prosthetic heart valves or orthopedic prostheses: ask doctor about antibiotics to prevent infection.

Online first aid guide

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Source

CC BY-SA. Derived from works by David Werner (1977/1992, Where There Is No Doctor), Boston Area Liberation Medic Squad (2001, Aftercare Sheets), and Brian Dominick (2003).

Based on infosheets (1, 2) produced for 2011 Arab Spring, revised for 2014 Ferguson uprising by A. Grace Keller (reviewed by Brian Dominick). This is the third revision.