Wounds and infection at sea
1The lesson in plain words
Clean small wounds with drinkable water. Cover them and keep the dressing dry. Watch for infection every day.
Clean it well
For a small cut or graze, wash your hands and put on gloves. Rinse the wound under plenty of drinkable running water until it looks clean; tap water from the tanks is fine if it is safe to drink. Remove loose dirt you can rinse away. Seawater is not clean enough for washing a wound. Pat the skin around it dry.
Close and cover
Bring the edges of a small, clean, straight cut together with wound-closure strips, then cover it with a non-stick dressing. Change the dressing if it gets wet or dirty. A wound needs a doctor if it is deep or gaping, will not stop bleeding, is on the face or a joint, has something stuck in it, or came from a bite.
Why infection matters at sea
On a boat, hands are wet, decks are dirty and wounds stay damp, so infections start easily. Cuts from fish spines, hooks, shells, coral and barnacles carry germs deep under the skin. A small infected cut can become serious days from port. Do not try to pull out a deeply embedded fish hook or object: support it and ask for advice.
Signs of infection
Check wounds every day. Warning signs are redness spreading from the wound, swelling, heat, worsening pain, pus, red streaks up the limb, swollen glands, fever or feeling unwell. If you see them, get radio medical advice early: the doctor may tell you to start a medicine from the kit.
Tetanus
Tetanus is a serious infection caused by germs from soil and dirt that enter through wounds. Vaccination protects you. Before a long passage, check that every crew member’s tetanus vaccination is up to date and arrange any needed vaccination before sailing.
2Key data
- Cleaning
- Plenty of drinkable running water
- Check wounds
- Every day
- Infection signs
- Spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus, red streaks, fever
- Before a passage
- Tetanus vaccination up to date
3Key points
- 1
Rinse wounds with plenty of drinkable running water, not seawater.
- 2
Close small clean cuts with strips; cover and keep dry.
- 3
Deep, gaping, bitten or contaminated wounds need medical advice.
- 4
Check every wound daily for spreading redness, heat, pus or fever.
- 5
Make sure tetanus vaccination is up to date before a passage.
4Frequent mistakes
Wrong: Rinse a cut in the sea; salt water cleans it.
Right: Seawater carries germs. Use plenty of drinkable fresh water.
Wrong: Close a dirty, deep wound tightly with strips.
Right: Closing a dirty wound traps germs. Clean it, cover it and get medical advice.
5Practice case & exam keys
Three days into a passage, a crew member shows you a cut on her hand from a shell. It is red, swollen and hot, a red line is running up her forearm and she feels shivery.
Show the answer
These are signs of a spreading infection. Get radio medical advice now: the doctor may tell you to start an antibiotic from the kit and may advise a change of plan. Meanwhile, clean and dress the wound, rest and raise the hand, and keep her drinking. Check and record her temperature and the redness regularly.
Exam keys
- Clean wounds with plenty of drinkable running water.
- Infection signs: spreading redness, heat, swelling, pus, red streaks, fever.
- Get advice for deep, gaping, bitten, embedded or infected wounds.
- Check tetanus vaccination before a passage.
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