Steps to Proper Wound Care: Cleaning, Extracting, and Preparing

When conducting wound care, the steps involving cleaning intact skin, extracting wound drainage, and preparing the syringe for the laboratory are as follows:

Clean intact skin with a disinfectant solution.

Use a disinfectant solution to clean the area around the wound and remove any bacteria or germs that may cause infection.

Extract wound drainage using a 10-mL disposable syringe with a 22-gauge needle.

Use a sterile syringe to collect a sample of the wound drainage for culture and analysis. This step is crucial in determining the presence of any infection.

Draw 0.5 mL of air into the syringe.

To facilitate the suction and ensure the syringe is filled to the 10-mL mark, drawing a small amount of air into the syringe is necessary for proper sample collection.

Move the needle back and forth for explorations.

Gently move the needle within the wound at various angles to ensure adequate sample collection. This step helps in obtaining a representative sample for analysis.

Expel excess air from the syringe before sending it to the laboratory.

Before submitting the sample to the laboratory, make sure to expel any excess air from the syringe to prevent contamination and ensure accurate results during analysis.

Following these steps sequentially is essential to maintain aseptic technique and preserve the integrity of the sample for laboratory testing. Proper wound care is crucial in preventing infections and promoting healing.