Emergency advice

Hand bandage:

  1. Wrap bandage around wrist, across back of hand and around fingers in a figure of 8.
  2. Secure end around wrist.
  3. Check circulation.

What to do

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Pass the bandage diagonally across the back of their hand to the outside of their wrist. Then wrap under their wrist.

  4. Repeat this figure of eight until only the finger tips 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Once you have finished check their circulation. You can do this by pressing a finger nail 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.

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