When applying a dressing to an abdominal injury, which practice should be followed?

• A. Use a dry gauze dressing
• B. Apply a wet cloth
• C. Cover protruding organs with a plastic bag
• D. Use a moist sterile dressing to protect protruding organs

Answer: (D)

Protecting exposed abdominal tissue from drying out and from infection is the key idea here. The best approach is to cover the protruding organs with a moist sterile dressing. Keeping the tissue moist helps preserve its viability, and using a sterile covering minimizes the risk of introducing infection. Do not push the organs back inside, and avoid dressings that aren’t moist and sterile. A dry gauze can stick to tissue and dry it out, a wet cloth isn’t reliably sterile, and a plastic bag isn’t appropriate for covering exposed tissues. If available, moisten the dressing with sterile saline and loosely secure it to hold the organs in place without applying pressure. Then call for emergency help, keep the person calm and still, and monitor for signs of shock.