ABDOMINAL INJURY

The most serious abdominal wound is one in which an object

penetrates the abdominal wall and pierces internal organs or
large blood vessels. In these instances, bleeding may be
severe and death can occur rapidly. Other types of abdominal
wounds that could be managed include:
a.

GENERAL WOUNDS

General wounds of the abdomen include punture, superficial and

deep cuts, incision, abrasion, etc. They do not cause the
protrusion of the internal organs of the abdomen through the
wound.
WHAT TO DO
1. Wear gloves.
2. Evaluate the Casualty.
3. Carefully position individual on back.
4. If movement of the legs does not cause pain, place a pillow
under knees to help relax the abdominal muscles.
5. If movement of the legs causes pain, leave individual lying
flat.
6. Control bleeding with a bulky dressing.
7. If necessary, apply more dressings. DO NOT remove original
dressing.
8. Do not give food or drink.
9. Do not give medication.
10. Call the Ambulance.

b.

PROTRUDING WOUNDS

A protruding abdominal wound is an injury to the abdomen which

causes internal organs to be exposed or protrude through the
wound.
WHAT TO DO
1. Call the Ambulance.
2. Wear gloves.
3. Evaluate the Casualty.
4. Carefully position individual on back.
5. If movement of the legs does not cause pain, place a pillow
under knees to help relax the abdominal muscles.
6. If movement of the legs causes pain, leave individual lying
flat.
7. Expose the Wound.

Remove the casualtys loose clothing to expose the wound.

However, DO NOT attempt to remove clothing that is stuck
to the wound; removing it may cause further injury.

Gently pick up any organs that may be on the ground.

Do this with a clean, dry dressing or with the cleanest

available material.

Place the organs on top of the casualtys abdomen

8. Apply moist sterile Dressing. Place moist clothing,

blankets, or the cleanest materials available on the wound.

9. Do not pull out a foreign object such as a knife, which is

pierced into the wound. Just stabilize the object with a
dressing around to prevent further damage. DO NOT place the
dressing over (i.e. on top of) the object.
10. If there is a delay in medical assistance:
Loosely drape sterile dressings or a clean cloth over
the wound.
Use sterile saline to moisten the dressings.
Hold dressing in place with bulky bandage.
11. Treat for Shock (see Shock). DO NOT elevate the feet to
treat for shock. The patients knees can be bent to reduce the
blood flow to the lower extremities.
DO NOT

give food or drink.

give medication.

Apply direct pressure on objects that pierced into the

wound.

probe, clean, or try to remove any foreign object from

the abdomen.

touch protruding touch any exposed organs with bare

hands.

push organs back inside the body.

remove any body part extending from the wound.

give casualties with abdominal wounds food or water

(moistening the lips is allowed).

apply any pressure to the protruding organs.

Pull out any object that is pierced into the wound. The
object in the wound could be blocking further blood loss,
so if you pull it out you could deal with a major
hemorrhage or blood bloss.