Bandages

Bandages are required to apply and maintain pressure on a wound to stop bleeding, to keep a dressing in place, to provide support, and to prevent movement. Wherever a standard dressing is not used it is customary to cover a wound in the following ways:
 
     - dry dressing – sterile gauze or lint covered by a layer of cotton wool and held in place by a roller or triangular bandage;
     - non-stick dressing – sterile paraffin gauze covered by sterile gauze or lint and cotton wool and held in place as above.
 
NOTE: Never use cotton wool as the first layer of a dressing. When using lint always put the smooth surface next to the skin.

Cut off a piece of tube gauze bandage 60 cm long. Lay this on a flat surface and make a longitudinal cut at one end 10 cm long through both thicknesses of the bandage. The tails so formed, ‘B’, will be used to secure the bandage. Insert the applicator into the bandage at end ‘B’, then push all the bandage on to it. Then pull 2.5 cm of the bandage off the end of the applicator. Tuck this inside. Hold the finger dressing in place. Insert the finger into the applicator and push it gently towards the base of the finger. Hold the bandage in place with your thumb and withdraw the applicator with a slight turning motion.
The bandage will slip off the applicator and will mould firmly to the finger.

When the applicator comes off the finger, hold the bandage and the applicator firmly and turn through 360 degrees. Re-insert the tip of the finger into the applicator and push it once again to the base of the finger. Repeat the complete manoeuvre until the bandage is all used up. Then tie loosely at the base of the finger. Tape the base of the dressing avoiding encircling the finger.