Wound care 101…(I’m sorry if this trashes all your foundation knowledge)

Cutting edge stuff
  1. You DO NOT need sterile gloves to stitch a simple laceration ($$ saved)
  2. Advance the needle through the margin of the wound and sequence injections so that subsequent needles are inserted through previously anaesthetized tissue to reduce the pain of local an aesthetics
  3. Tap water does wonders to clean your wound…you don’t need any fancy solutions. Both chlorhexidine and povidone iodine have been found to inhibit wound healing, by inhibiting fibroblasts (bad bad for your wound)
  4. Toothed forceps can be used for picking up and loading needles onto needle holders. You should NEVER do this with your fingers. They AREN’T (as is commonly taught) for grasping the epidermis and dermis.

EMKF

Emergency Medicine Kenya Foundation (EMKF) is an NGO supporting emergency healthcare providers across Kenya to save lives by strengthening the emergency healthcare system through capacity building, knowledge development, advocacy and research.