When would you not remove a casualty's clothing to expose a wound?

When would you not remove a casualty's clothing to expose a wound?

• A. In a chemical environment
• B. If clothing is not damaged
• C. In a chemical environment or if the clothing is stuck to the wound
• D. If the casualty is conscious

Answer: (C)

In emergency wound management, you avoid removing clothing when doing so could cause more harm or spread contamination. There are two clear situations where you would keep the clothing on and work around it. First, in a chemical environment. Removing clothing can drag or spread hazardous chemicals to yourself, the casualty, or the surrounding area, and residues can aerosolize or transfer. Keeping the clothing on helps contain the contamination, while you decontaminate the casualty and access the wound by carefully cutting away fabric around it rather than tearing it off. Second, if the clothing is stuck to the wound. Yanking or forcibly removing fabric that adheres to tissue can tear skin, reopen the wound, cause more bleeding, and heighten pain. In this case you should cut around the stuck fabric or peel back non-adherent areas to expose the wound while leaving the fabric attached to minimize tissue damage. In other situations where removing clothing doesn’t risk contamination or tissue injury, you may remove or adjust clothing as needed to access the wound.

In emergency wound management, you avoid removing clothing when doing so could cause more harm or spread contamination. There are two clear situations where you would keep the clothing on and work around it.

First, in a chemical environment. Removing clothing can drag or spread hazardous chemicals to yourself, the casualty, or the surrounding area, and residues can aerosolize or transfer. Keeping the clothing on helps contain the contamination, while you decontaminate the casualty and access the wound by carefully cutting away fabric around it rather than tearing it off.

Second, if the clothing is stuck to the wound. Yanking or forcibly removing fabric that adheres to tissue can tear skin, reopen the wound, cause more bleeding, and heighten pain. In this case you should cut around the stuck fabric or peel back non-adherent areas to expose the wound while leaving the fabric attached to minimize tissue damage.

In other situations where removing clothing doesn’t risk contamination or tissue injury, you may remove or adjust clothing as needed to access the wound.