FIRST AID

Name : _____________________________
Bandaging
Bandaging takes place for two reasons.
1. To control bleeding, and
2. To support injured limbs
In this section we will look at 8 kinds of bandages
ead !Triangular" Bandage !for controlling blood loss"
ead !#repe" Bandage !for controlling blood loss"
$rist % &nkle Bandage !'prains % 'trains"
(ressure Bandage !for controlling blood flow"
and or )oot Bandage
*le+ated 'ling
'ling
,oughnut
Head (Triangular) Bandage
This bandage ma- be used to hold a sterile pad o+er a wound site on the skull. It ma-
also be used to hold a .doughnut/ in place, or other padding placed around the site
where a foreign object has become lodged in the head.
Bandaging Page 1 of 4
Simon Watson
22/10/2014
Head (Crepe) Bandage
This bandage is mainl- for holding a sterile pad in place o+er a wound site on the head.
0ot suited for a wound found on top of the head, this bandage is 1uick and simple to do,
and can, again, be used in conjunction with the doughnut or with other padding around a
foreign object. It consists of simpl- wrapping a crepe bandage around the head, so that
it looks a bit like a head band.
Wrist / Ankle Bandage
This bandage is used to support the wrist or ankle after a sprain or strain. It helps to
control swelling, but is mainl- used as a supporting bandage.
Pressure Bandage
This is a simple bandage used to hold a sterile pad in place o+er a wound site. It can, of
course, also be used with the doughnut and%or an- padding if re1uired. To appl- this
bandage, simpl- use an o+erlapping techni1ue, .spiralling/ the dressing to abo+e and
below the wound site, and on top of the sterile pad. (Read the handout on Bleeding for
some more information)
Bandaging Page 2 of 4
Simon Watson
22/10/2014
When bandaging a wrist to reduce or
control swelling, the bandage should go
further up the arm towards the elbow
Hand or Foot Bandage
This bandage might be used to help hold a sterile pad in place, or ma- be used in the
e+ent of burns to hold a gau2e dressing in place, and keep infection out. *3tremel-
simple to tie, this bandage is sometimes called the .fish supper/ because of its shape 4
Elevated Sling
This sling is used where the arm needs to be kept ele+ated, t-picall- in the case of a cut
with se+ere bleeding. 5nce the pressure bandage has been applied, use the ele+ation
sling to keep the arm ele+ated.
Sling
This sling is used just to support the arm in a comfortable position. It ma- be used to
support a suspected fracture until arri+al at the hospital, for e3ample.
The Doughnut
Bandaging Page 3 of 4
Simon Watson
22/10/2014
This is just a wa- of wrapping a triangular bandage around itself to create a doughnut
shaped pad for placing o+er !and around" an injur- where a foreign object has become
embedded in the wound. This helps keep the bandage off of the object, and so
minimises the risk of causing the casualt- an- more pain, as well as minimising the risk
of infection. To make a doughnut, simpl- con+ert the triangular bandage into a narrow
bandage as described below. 6ake a loop in the middle of the narrow bandage, and
feed the ends of the bandage through the loop continuall-, turning the loop so that the
doughnut .fills out/ e+enl- all the wa- round.
Converting a triangular andage into a road or narro! andage"
It ma- be that -ou want to use a triangular bandage as a narrow or broad bandage, or
as a pad for placing o+er sites of hea+- bleeding. )olding the triangle as shown below,
-ou can use the triangular bandage in man- wa-s, and it 1uickl- becomes one of the
most +ersatile dressing in the first aid kit.
Bandaging Page 4 of 4
Simon Watson
22/10/2014