First Aid for Stab Wounds

Last Updated on November 24, 2021

First Aid & Attending to a Stab Wound.

Ari Fuld z”l, this article dedicated to his memory.  Murdered on September 16th, 2018 he was a devoted husband, father, activist, Assistant Director at Standing Together and a member of Israel’s Anglo immigrant community.

Painful, gory, and potentially deadly, a stab wound requires immediate treatment to alleviate the bleeding and pain and stabilize the victim until he can be examined by medical professionals. Attending to a stab wound requires quick action and a level head in order to effectively provide the first aid needed to control the bleeding and save the victim’s life.

1. Survey the area

A stabbing often occurs within a volatile incident and the assailant(s) may still be in the vicinity, which could be dangerous for you and the stabbing victim. Avoid making yourself a potential victim by intervening with or going near the assailants. Only approach the victim once you have determined it is safe for you to do so.

• Although waiting until the assailants have left the scene does entail lost precious time for the stabbing victim, having more people injured is hardly conducive to rescuing anybody.

2. Call for emergency help immediately

• If the person is bleeding out a lot, get someone else to call emergency services while you help the victim.
• If you are the only person around, use your phone to call for assistance. If you don’t have a phone with you, try to find a passersby or a nearby shop.

Calling Israel’s emergency services with step-by-step instructions in Hebrew, English and with transliterations

3. Lay the person down

• Before you do anything else to attend to the stab wound, get the person to lie down on the ground. This will make it easier to help stabilize the victim, particularly if he starts to get dizzy or fall unconscious. You don’t want the person to risk aggravating the injury if he falls while fainting.
• For comfort, place a jacket or backpack under the victim’s head. Alternatively, if there are other people around, ask one of them to sit with the person’s head in her lap and talk to him. This will be soothing to the victim and help him keep calm.

4. Inspect the person and determine the extent of the injury

• Examine the person and try to determine the extent of his injuries. Is there more than one stab wound? Are there slashes? Where is the blood coming from?
• You will probably have to part the person’s clothing to properly identify the wound(s). Try to look for all wounds before starting your treatment.
• However, if you notice one obviously severe wound that needs urgent treatment, you should deal with this immediately. A severe wound would be one that is bleeding steadily and profusely or one that it spurting out blood like a geyser. Spurting blood is usually a sign that the wound has hit an artery.

Attending to the Stab Wound

1. Wear disposable gloves if you have them

Alternatively, you can also put some plastic bags over your hands. Though this step is not required in order to tend to the stab wound, it is important in order to reduce the risk of infection to yourself or the victim.

• If available, nitrile or other non-latex gloves are preferable. These types of gloves minimize the possibility of an allergic reaction to latex, which can complicate treatment. Nitrile and other non-latex gloves are usually blue or purple and are rapidly replacing the white latex gloves that were previously the standard.
• If you don’t have gloves with you, try to wash your hands or even use a hand sanitizer quickly. If you have nothing available to you, try to use layers of cloth to keep a barrier between yourself and the victim’s blood.
• Remember, you do not have to touch the person if you believe that you are in danger of contracting an infection or are otherwise uncomfortable. Wait for emergency assistance if you are in doubt.If you choose to treat the victim, do your best to minimize contact with the victim’s blood.

2. Check the victim’s ABCs, Airway, Breathing and Circulation

• Make sure the person’s airway remains unobstructed.
• Listen for the sound of breathing and watch the person’s chest for movement.
• Check the victim’s pulse to make sure the heart is still beating.
• If the victim has stopped breathing, perform CPR.
• If the person is conscious, begin working but also talk with him to keep him calm and help slow his heart rate. If possible, try to keep the victim’s eyes averted so he cannot see the wound.

3. Remove the victim’s clothing around the affected area

This will enable you identify the precise location of the stab wound and then apply treatment. Stab wounds can sometimes be obscured by both clothing and blood or other fluids and even dirt or mud, depending on where the victim is found.

• Use care in removing the victim’s clothing since he is likely in considerable pain.

4. Do NOT remove the stabbing object if it is embedded

Leave the object in the wound if it is still there. The object is actually helping to stem the blood flow. Pulling it out will actually increase blood loss, while pushing it in may cause further injury to the internal organs. You’ll need to apply pressure and dress the wound around the object as best you can. Medical professionals will be better able to remove the object without damaging any internal organs or causing massive blood loss in the process

Stop the bleeding. Apply pressure on the wound with a clean and absorbent material (like a shirt or towel), or preferably, a clean dressing. If the object is still in the wound, press firmly around it. Applying pressure to the wound will help to slow the flow of blood.

• Some first aid training suggests using the edge of a credit card to “seal” the wound, an item that’s handy because so many people have one on them. Not only does this stem blood flow, but it may also prevent lung collapse (by keeping air out of the wound) if the wound is in the chest.
• If the wound is bleeding profusely, apply pressure to the major artery leading to the area with your hand, while your other hand continues to apply pressure on the wound. These areas are called “pressure points”. For example, to slow bleeding in the arm, press the inside of the arm just above the elbow or just below the armpit. If the wound is on the leg, press just behind the knee or in the groin

5. Re-position the victim so the wound is above the heart

This will help reduce blood loss. If the victim can sit, get him to move himself into an upright position; if not, then help the victim if possible.

6. Cover the dressing