Surgical ward work and nursing : a handbook for nurses and others / by Alexander Miles.

Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Surgical ward work and nursing : a handbook for nurses and others / by Alexander Miles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    57/440 (page 45)
    In cases in which a large amount of discharge is expected,, it will be well to use a wood-wool dressing, with the same precautions to secure a fresh surface. It is more absorbent than ordinary corrosive wool. The large amount of dust which it gives off is an inconvenience, but this can be ob- viated by having it made up in sheets covered with fine gauze—wood-wool tissue. Bandage.—Over the wool should be put some form of bandage to hold the dressing in position—a roller, many-tail bandage, or binder. If a roller is wanted, select a bandage of suitable width, and be careful to unroll a few inches of it before handing it up, as this enables the surgeon to get started with the bandage at once, a thing which is not easy when a firm roll is given him, and, as is very often the case, he has only one hand available for applying it. The usual length of a roller bandage is six yards, and for the trunk or a whole limb more than one may be required. Safety-Pins.—The bandage is fixed by means of safety- pins, of which a liberal supply should always be ready, as it is often necessary to fasten the bandage at several places,, especially about the head, chest and pelvis. The pin should run in the long axis of the bandage. If fixed across the bandage the tension twists the pin round, the last turn is loosened, and the other turns soon follow. The dressing is now finished, the patient must be made comfortable again, and the soiled dressings and mackintoshes removed. To Make the Patient Comfortable.—First remove the mackintosh and towel, and be careful in doing so to gather up the four corners, and then the intervening edges, to prevent the lotions and discharges soiling the sheets. Then quickly cover up the patient; see that the bed-clothes do not press on the injured limb; and if they do, put in a cage to pre- vent this. Should the patient complain of being cold, you may put a hot bottle beside him, taking care that it is not so hot or so near the limb as to do damage. Never put a hot bottle close beside an unconscious patient, a very old person, or one who has had a severe injury to his .limbs, as it is liable to produce a burn. Never put a hot-water bottle next any patient without enclosing it in a flannel cover.