First Aid Re: Hydrogen Peroxide

[Canine]

I often hear of using H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide) for cleaning wounds or injuries. While that information is well-intentioned, it is wrong. I had been an EMT and have had years of basic training related to first aid. While it has been years since any of that, I was never, ever trained to use hydrogen peroxide as a treatment for anything. I don't remember it being on the ambulance at all and doubt that it was.

Using hydrogen peroxide is in the same category as using butter for burns or using tourniquets to manage bleeding or sucking the venom out of a snakebite. If you are on your own and want to stack the odds in your favor when dealing with an illness or injury, take a first aid class ahead of time. Don't listen to how I would treat a potentially serious illness or injury. I recommend some good, quality professional education for the layman like from the American Red Cross or your local community college.

I can understand how hydrogen peroxide is often recommended for treatment of minor first aid wounds- it says it right on the bottle! Hard to accept what I say when a far more educated corporation says otherwise. You can still find snakebite kits that have suction cups and string for a tourniquet; this doesn't mean that is how a venomous snakebite is treated.

I suspect I will get a lot of apposing opinions. That's fine- it's your body, do what you want with it. But I feel compelled to guide people in a direction so that they may educate themselves from an authoritative source to make a truly informed opinion regarding first aid.

 

[mockturtle]

With all due respect, Canine, hydrogen peroxide is of value. While it may not have been on your ambulance, it is still a useful and inexpensive wound disinfectant. BTW, I have a Bachelors Degree in Nursing and years of experience in wound care. H202 can be irritating to the tissue if used at high strength but the OTC version is quite mild.

 

[Gary68]

its quit simple h2o2= water with another oxygen molecule and what will kill anaerobic bacteria? well oxygen

but as with most things,if a corporation cant make money off of it they will not promote it,h2o2 is cheap,those pharmaceuticals,thats what pays the bills$$$ antibiotics for everyone

 

[LeeRevell]

Not saying who is right or wrong.....  but I have used Hydrogen Peroxide as a wound cleaning agent too.  It worked.  Maybe something else would have worked better(?).  But it is what I had at hand at the time.

 

[minimotos95]

I have noticed the trend that hydrogen peroxide is no longer being considered acceptable for first aid wound care. I treated some road rash July of 2014 with hydrogen peroxide and it wasn't until this past month that the skin returned to a somewhat normal color from purple. It does slow healing but is much better than leaving a dirty wound dirty.
Thanks for the reminder that I need to build a first aid kit, all I have in my van at the moment is horse bandage.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Don't mean to pile on, Canine.  I appreciate the good intentions behind your post.

All I can say is that I'm 65 years old, I've been using hydrogen peroxide on wounds my whole life, it's always worked, and I plan to go right on using it.

Regards
John

BTW, since we have both an former EMT and a former nurse here, what's the difference between an alcohol pad and a povidone iodine pad?  My first aid kit contains both, and it confuses me.  I figure a disinfectant is a disinfectant, so why would I need both?  Thanks.

Regards
John

 

[highdesertranger]

not busting your b*lls or anything like that, but you know what I use it also. I have heard that you are not supposed to, but I have heard that about alcohol and iodine also. so what are we suppose to use. not that I will change but curios. btw I use h2o2 for a mouth wash too, am I going to die. btw we use iodine when castrating bull calves. it burns my skin if I get any on it. highdesertranger

 

[mockturtle]

BTW, since we have both an former EMT and a former nurse here, what's the difference between an alcohol pad and a povidone iodine pad?  My first aid kit contains both, and it confuses me.  I figure a disinfectant is a disinfectant, so why would I need both?  Thanks.

Povidone iodine has a longer-lasting effect where the alcohol pad is for quick applications.  Examples:  If I'm drawing blood or giving an injection, an alcohol pad is sufficient to cleanse the area.  If I'm starting an IV, the iodine leaves a disinfecting coating on the skin.  If you are going to suture a wound, you would want to use the iodine swab.  Iodone [Betadine solution] is used for pre-surgical prep].

 

[gramakittycat]

Another( retired) RN here.Peroxide was used but diluted with sterile H2o or normal saline 1/2 to 1/2 mostly to irrigate wounds As for alcohol; t cleans but doesn't have the anti bacterial properties of iodine,betadine for wound care.

 

[janncoo]

Recent studies and opinions seem to agree that the best way to clean a wound is with normal saline(0.9%) solution or water. Hydrogen peroxide may destroy certain healthy cells needed for wound healing thus prolonging the healing process. I have also used hydrogen peroxide to clean a wound but will probably rethink this due to more recent studies. Medical treatment is ever evolving. I am also a retired RN.  Jan

 

[Gary68]

food grade 35% h2o2 is great for sterilizing veggies and counter tops,burning a hole in your skin and rocket fuel... oxygen its powerful stuff

 

[WriterMs]

Wow, Canine, you started a very good topic here. We can all learn a lot.

I carry iodine in my "survival" fanny pack (taken on any hikes, etc.) since it can be used for wounds or to disinfect water.

 

[akrvbob]

I severely broke my arm and wrist and they took me to the teaching hospital at Fresno, CA. When I was being prepped for the 1st of 4 surgeries at midnight they had called in about a dozen students to watch because it was so bad.

My orthopedic surgeon was on staff at the hospital ad was a professor at the college and these were his students. He is as good as they get!!

I had "compartment syndrome" that means my arm had swollen up so much it would burst the skin so instead they cut a long opening and the swelling tissue went outside of it. It was very, very gruesome!

Normally they would send a hone health nurse to take care of it but I was a campground host in a National Forest and they would not go out there so I had to take care of it for 3 weeks while the swelling went down enough for him to close it. Thankfully, my bosses wife did it most of the time because it was my right, dominate arm and my left was pretty worthless. But I did do it a couple of times when she couldn't.

He taught me how to clean and dress it and we used this special covering that is used for burns which is a true miracle product. But before i did that I had to clean it with hydrogen peroxide. BUT, he said I MUST mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with sterile water or it would damage the tissue.

I 100% owe the use of my arm to this amazing man who dedicated his life to performing medical miracles and when he says to use diluted hydrogen peroxide, believe me, I will use diluted hydrogen peroxide.
Bob

 

[offroad]

bob - shocking you got that perfect level of care for your arm. You are blessed. Interesting about H2O2 and will dilute it from now on if using it at all, instead of the various polymixen-neosporan variation ointments.

 

[Queen]

(Former medic and long term ALS instructor here) If you're going to use it definitely dilute it, but for your average cuts and scrapes, soap and water and a nice clean bandage woth a little antibiotic ointment works just dandy. Keep it clean and change the dressing each day (repeat the soap and water, clean bandage and ointment routine).

As an aside, please let the old wives tale of letting the wound get some air so it will form a scab, go. Scabs just increase your healing time, keeping a clean moist dressing on the wound for about a week will heal it much quicker and with less scarring.

 

[compassrose]

I rarely have peroxide on hand and then it's because I needed to "bleach" something. Since I wear contact lenses, I ALWAYS have saline. That is what I use to clean wounds with. I'm a firm believer in Aloe. I keep 1% hydrocortizone cream on hand to use sparingly. I react poorly to spider bites so I use that on them. Worked great after I got bit by a brown recluse. I packed my quarter sized 1/2" deep hole in my leg full with the stuff with a clean bandage twice a day. Took over a month for my leg to completely heal. There was no scarring either. Sometimes I user a triple antibiotic ointment. BTW, panty liners make great large bandages. My daughter says she puts cheap panty liners in her shoes for when her feet sometimes sweats. Other than that my "medicine" cabinet holds rubbing alcohol (you know that stuff is diluted with water?... I bought the rubbing alcohol to clean my earrings), flu/cold meds, allergy pills, aspirin, acetaminophen, tea tree oil, anti diarrhea, dollartree bandaids and a bottle of antacids.

On edit: I use pure vanilla extract for burns. Takes the heat/pain away and I rarely have a blister afterwards.


I don't "do" doctors. Certainly not for anything I can take care of. If I'm not bleeding to death, I'm fine. Every doctor I have ever been to for "severe injury" has insulted me, tried to ply me with pain meds that I do NOT handle well (a half dose knocks me out for many hours) and then charged me way too much money (I pay my own, no insurance, can't afford it) for something I could have done myself (and should have rather than bowing to pressure from others). No other business can get away with treating customers like that. And make no mistake, a "patient" is a customer.

 

[Canine]

Thanks so far to all for your opinions and information. What I would really like to see any of you take away from this is taking a first aid class. What would you do if you or someone else had a seizure? Would you try to stuff your fingers or something into the person's mouth or when should you call an ambulance? A class will at a minimum keep you from doing more harm and will allow you to truly help a person in need.

Correct information is powerful. Incorrect information can be just as powerful. With correct info, not only can you more effectively apply yourself, you are also more calm and more removed from panic because you know what to do. I've seen a lot of people (especially drunk people) "help" because they "think" they know what they are doing and end up causing more harm than good.

You've maybe heard someone say, "Is there a doctor here?" Not necessarily the best person to provide first aid in an emergent medical situation. An EMT is a better choice because they are trained to care for someone that needs first aid care. A doctor may not be able to provide the level of care an EMT can. A doctor is much more educated, but does not necessarily have the correct education for emergent medical care. In fact if a medical doctor without the proper training tries to take over medical care being provided by an EMT, the EMT has legal authority over the doctor. If a paramedic comes into the picture, then the paramedic can take over because his/her training exceeds the EMT's training.

With hydrogen peroxide, I'm not saying any use of it in any medical context is wrong. If you cut yourself and need to dress the wound, there are better procedures, IMO, that don't utilize hydrogen peroxide. Reapplying a dressing to a previously treated wound or injury is not what I was referring to. Similar with tourniquets. There are situations where tourniquets should be used, but only in specific situations. Generally speaking, using a tourniquet is not proper first aid.

Mercurochrome is also a good disinfectant, but it has mercury in it; I don't know if it is even made anymore. Diluted bleach is a great disinfectant as well, but it is pretty rough on the skin. Diluted bleach has been used in a shallow tray in locker rooms. As you walked out the door, you stepped in the solution to impede the spread of athlete's foot (a highly contagious fungus). Honey was used back in the day because of its ability to prevent infection. Hydrogen peroxide, by comparison to isopropyl alcohol and others, has relatively weak antiseptic properties. Different disinfectants have different properties.

The idea behind washing a wound or using large amounts of water to irrigate it is to remove debris (an excellent harbinger of bacteria/germs) and to remove bacteria already there so they don't migrate into the wound where they can thrive. A little hydrogen peroxide has a small effect. It's like using alcohol hand sanitizer on your hands. Would you rather rub germs around on your hands and call it clean, or would you rather use soap and clean the germs off?

If you are unsure about anything discussed here, a class will answer your questions.

 

[akrvbob]

Something I forgot to add is that when I go to Mexico I also get a skin salve like Neosporin, except this has actual penicillin in it. A bottle costs a dollar and lasts me more than a year. It's always my first line of defense against any typical cuts. I've sen it perform miracles.
Bob

 

[mockturtle]

Neosporin and other topical antibiotics can be very useful but it is important to be very sparing in their use, even topically applied, as their overuse results in super-strains of bacteria that are resistant. A wound that appears infected probably requires such treatment but I wouldn't use it prophylactically.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Something I forgot to add is that when I go to Mexico I also get a skin salve like Neosporin, except this has actual penicillin in it. A bottle costs a dollar and lasts me more than a year. It's always my first line of defense against any typical cuts. I've sen it perform miracles.
Bob

Just a word of caution:  Some people are allergic to penicillin and in extreme cases it could induce anaphylactic shock.  My mother has this allergy.  Penicillin could kill her.

I would not use penicillin unless I knew from previous experience that it was not a problem for me. 

Regards
John