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Emergency advice
Hand bandage:
- Wrap the bandage around the wrist, across the back of the hand and around the fingers in a figure of eight
- Secure the end around the wrist
- Check their circulation.
What to do
-
Start by putting the end of the bandage on the inside of their wrist, below the bottom of their thumb. Wrap the bandage around their wrist twice.
-
Then wrap the bandage from the inside of their wrist, diagonally across the back of their hand up to the nail of their little finger. Then pass the bandage straight across the front of their fingers.
-
Pass the bandage diagonally across the back of their hand to the outside of their wrist. Then wrap under their wrist.
-
Repeat this figure of eight until only the fingertips are still peeking out. When wrapping, only cover two thirds of the previous layer, so that with each new layer you’re covering a third of new skin.
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When you’ve covered the hand, wrap the bandage around the wrist twice and fasten the end using a safety pin, sticky tape, or by tucking it in.
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Once you have finished, check their circulation. You can do this by pressing a fingernail on the hand for five seconds until it goes pale. If the colour doesn’t come back within two seconds, the bandage is too tight, so you’ll need to loosen it and do it again. Keep checking their circulation every 10 minutes.
Authorship
Clinically reviewed by Dr Lynn Thomas, MStJ, BSc, MBBS, MA, FRCP
Page last reviewed: 07 March 2024
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