Is using urine to clean a wound better than non-sterile water?
I have heard that if you are in the wilderness and need a sterile fluid to rinse a wound, urine is an acceptable choice.
Sometime ago this topic came up while discussing emergency treatment. It was suggested that as urine is a sterile fluid it would be a good choice for rinsing an open wound.
Where good means less likely for an infection to set in as if it would if the wound was not rinsed OR if the wound was rinsed with ground or another non-sterile water source.
Does using urine helps in this regad?
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It depends
Extended contact of urine on skin will cause skin irritation and eventual breakdown. On the other hand, that water may contain flesh eating bacteria.
This is a situation of a lesser of two evils. Each wound is different and the causes numerous. The only reason you would need to "clean" a wound is if there is something in the wound that presents a hazard. Is that hazard greater then the damage urine will cause it?
Bleeding does not necessarily require cleaning. Bleeding in it's very nature is bleeding out and not in, decreasing the odds of infection.
Urine is designed to remove waste materials and isn't designed for bacteria. A UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) is normally introduced externally rather then interiorly.
As far as sterility goes, completely sterile water is uncommon. I would trust water from my water bottle more then urine, even if it does contain bacteria from my mouth.
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