Within the chest are a lot of vital organs such as as the heart, lungs liver and spleen which are protected by the ribcage. An injury to the chest can be life-threatening.

Common signs of injury include:

• Obvious signs of trauma – blood loss
• Shortness of breath
• Respiratory distress
• Chest pain
• Shock
• Cyanosis (blue ears and lips)
• Swelling
• Bruising
• “Bubbling” around the wound
• Coughing up blood
• Sound of air being sucked in when the casualty breathes

TREATMENT

• Wear medical gloves
• Sit the casualty down on the floor and lean them towards the injured side
• Leave the wound exposed if it’s not bleeding
• If the wound is bleeding dress the wound using appropriate bandages
• If something is embedded, support the object in the position found and dress around the wound using appropriate bandages to control the loss of blood.
• Treat for shock
• Ring for an ambulance immediately