Should a puncture wound be covered?

0 votes
asked Nov 27, 2021 in Other- Health by sjnoblok (770 points)
Should a puncture wound be covered?

2 Answers

0 votes
answered Nov 28, 2021 by Niko (18,430 points)
A puncture wound should be covered.

Apply pressure to stop bleeding quickly and to prevent further anemia, and it may fasten the healing process.

Cover the wound with absorbent materials such as sterile gauze pads (available over the counter), waterproof bandages, or a clean, dry cloth.

Maintain pressure for one to five minutes.

After stepping on a rusty nail or stepping on a nail you should do the following.

Thoroughly wash your hands with soap.

Apply gentle pressure with a clean cloth to slow the bleeding.

Flush the wound with clean water and soap as soon as possible for 5–10 minutes.

If there is debris in the wound, disinfect some tweezers with rubbing alcohol and use them to remove as much  as possible.

Apply antiseptic, antibiotic ointment, or both to the wound area if available.

Dress the wound with a clean bandage.

And get a tetanus shot if you haven't had a tetanus shot in 10 years or more.

If you haven't had a tetanus shot within 10 years and you've been injured with something that may have caused tetanus you should get a tetanus shot within 48 hours of the injury.

If the injured person hasn't had a tetanus shot in the past five years and the wound is deep or dirty, your doctor may recommend a booster.

The injured person should have the booster shot within 48 hours of the injury.

After getting a tetanus shot you should avoid any pressure on the arm where the vaccine was given and avoid lifting things with that arm and it's best to rest for at least the first day after the tetanus vaccine.

The CDC estimate that one to three people in 100 will have moderate gastrointestinal symptoms after the Tdap vaccine.

The best course of action is to drink plenty of fluids, rest, and eat plain food to avoid aggravating the gastrointestinal system any further.

The symptoms will usually subside with time.

After a tetanus vaccine, pain and swelling can be managed with cold compresses at the injection site and acetaminophen, if needed.

Avoid pressure on the injection site.

Too frequent boosters of tetanus-containing vaccines can result increased pain, swelling and redness at the injection site.

You should and can rub a tetanus shot to help spread out the vaccine and also help reduce pain.

To spread out the tetanus shot vaccine, and reduce soreness, simply massage the muscle around the area where the tetanus shot was given, which will help increase blood flow.

You cannot really get too many tetanus shots but getting too many tetanus shots can cause an increased local reaction.

Getting a tetanus dose early is not harmful.

However, booster doses of tetanus-containing vaccines given too frequently may cause an increased local reaction.

You don't have to get a tetanus shot after stepping on a nail unless it's been 10 years or more since your last tetanus shot.

If it's been 10 years or more since your last tetanus shot and you stepped on a nail then yes you should get a tetanus shot after stepping on the nail to be safe.

Tetanus is a serious infection which can be deadly if not treated or prevented.

Side effects of a tetanus shot for adults and even children include.

    Pain, redness, or swelling in the arm where the shot was given.
    Mild fever.
    Headache.
    Tiredness.
    Stomach upset, including nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
    Muscle aches and pains.
    Swollen glands.

To help relieve the pain after a tetanus shot you can take some pain relievers such as aspirin or Ibuprofen.

You can also relieve and help the pain of a tetanus shot by applying a cold compress or ice pack to the arm.

You may experience a headache or various aches and pains throughout your body after your tetanus vaccination.

These side effects from the tetanus shot should subside shortly.

You can take a pain reliever such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen for aches.

Tetanus shots are so painful because of your body's natural production of antibodies in response to the viruses in the vaccine.

If the pain from the tetanus shot persists for more than a few days after your shot, you may need to consult with your doctor.

You can still get tetanus even if you're vaccinated although it's rare to get tetanus after vaccination because the vaccine that protects against tetanus has been around for many years and is very effective.

Vaccination for tetanus is important because having tetanus disease does not result in tetanus immunity for life.

You are still at-risk for getting tetanus again.

The risk of reinfection is one of the reasons why the CDC recommends adults get a booster shot for tetanus every 10 years.

Tetanus symptoms usually progress pretty fast and can develop within 3 days to 2 weeks after being infected.

After a person is exposed to tetanus, it may take from 3 to 21 days for symptoms to develop.

On average, symptoms appear around day 8. In infants, symptoms may take from 3 days to 2 weeks to develop.

The symptoms of tetanus infection include.

    Jaw cramping.
    Sudden, involuntary muscle tightening (muscle spasms) – often in the stomach.
    Painful muscle stiffness all over the body.
    Trouble swallowing.
    Jerking or staring (seizures)
    Headache.
    Fever and sweating.
    Changes in blood pressure and fast heart rate.

Tetanus Shots are necessary every 10 years to prevent the bacteria that causes tetanus from infecting you.

If you get tetanus and then don't receive proper treatment, the toxin's effect on respiratory muscles can interfere with breathing. If this happens, you may die of suffocation.

A tetanus infection may develop after almost any type of skin injury, major or minor.

This includes cuts, punctures, crush injuries, burns and animal bites.

Having the shot helps your body get rid of the infection and prevents it from infecting you.

Tetanus is not very common in the United States.

There are on average about 30 cases of people getting tetanus per year in the United States so it's not very common.

The tetanus disease itself is rare in the United States because the tetanus vaccine is so effective and is regularly administered to our population.

However, the bacteria that causes tetanus isn't rare, and its spores are found most commonly in dust, soil, feces and saliva.

Still it's good to get a tetanus shot every 10 years just to be safe from the potential of getting tetanus.

You can get tetanus from rust but it's not caused by the rust itself and instead the tetanus is caused by the bacteria that can be inside the rust.

Rust does not cause tetanus but the rust can contain bacteria that causes tetanus.

Tetanus is caused by bacteria found in rust, soil etc and not the rust or soil or metal itself.

However rust can contain the bacteria that causes tetanus.

Tetanus is an infection caused by bacteria called Clostridium tetani.

When the bacteria invade the body, they produce a poison (toxin) that causes painful muscle contractions.

Another name for tetanus is “lockjaw”. It often causes a person's neck and jaw muscles to lock, making it hard to open the mouth or swallow.

So if you get cut by rusty metal or step on a rusty nail the rusty nail or metal can contain the tetanus bacteria which is actually what gives you tetanus.

You can even get tetanus from stepping on a clean nail or getting cut with a clean piece of metal.

However you're more likely to get tetanus when stepping on a rusty nail or cutting yourself with a rusty piece of metal.

To prevent tetanus you should get a tetanus shot every 10 years and if you haven't had a tetanus shot within 10 years and you got cut especially with rusty metal or a rusty nail you need to get a tetanus shot.

Tetanus can be deadly if you're not vaccinated for it and you get it and leave it untreated.
0 votes
answered Jan 12 by Chasedheat (27,110 points)
You should keep your puncture wound covered until it has closed up to avoid infection and help speed the healing.

98,443 questions

94,724 answers

1,269 comments

6,992,448 users

...