First aid Injuries

Chest or abdominal wound: what to do

Call 112

Gunshot or stab wound to the chest or abdomen: make sure you are safe, call 112, do not seal a chest wound. Based on ERC 2025 and IFRC guidelines.

Prepared by the InCaseMap team · Steps translated from the Lithuanian text checked 5 October 2026 Updated 16 October 2026

In short: If there is an open wound in the chest or abdomen from a bullet, shrapnel or a knife, first make sure you are safe, then call 112. Leave a chest wound open — if it bleeds heavily, press with your hand but do not seal it. A person with a chest wound should half-sit, with an abdominal wound lie with knees bent. Do not pull out an embedded object. All 38 first-aid instructions, based on state-institution and international guidelines (Lithuanian Ministry of Health, NVSC, VVKT, ERC, IFRC), are in the InCaseMap app and work offline — together with a map of hospitals, pharmacies and shelters.

How to recognise it

An open wound (a hole) in the chest or abdomen from a bullet, shrapnel or a knife. Breathing may be hard or painful, they may cough up blood.

What to do

  1. If there is shooting or a risk of explosions – take care of your own safety first; help only when it is safe.
  2. Call 112.
  3. Leave a chest wound open. Bleeding heavily – press with your hand, but do not seal it.
  4. With a chest wound – half-sitting, leaning towards the injured side. With an abdominal wound – lying down, knees bent.
  5. Organs protruding – cover them with a clean, damp cloth.
  6. Watch their breathing and for signs of shock, keep them warm.

What not to do

  • Do not seal a chest wound airtight.
  • Do not pull out an embedded object – secure it so it does not move.
  • Do not push organs back in.

Frequently asked questions

Should I seal a chest wound?

No. Do not seal a chest wound airtight — leave it open and press with your hand if it bleeds.

What if internal organs are showing?

Cover them with a clean, damp cloth and do not push them back in.

Sources

Based on: European Resuscitation Council (ERC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Translated from the Lithuanian text checked 5 October 2026.

Call 112 first and do what the operator says — their instructions come before this page; do not hang up until they tell you to. This page does not replace first-aid training.

You may freely use this text and its data, commercially too — just add a link: <a href="https://incasemap.com/en/first-aid-chest-abdominal-wound">InCaseMap</a> (more)

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