Medical Trauma and Injury Triage Guide

What is the correct triage order when injured?

Casualties: Unknown uses an intricate physiological simulation where injuries interact dynamically. Start with our Beginner Survival Guide if you have just crashed. When injured, you must address emergencies following the strict 6-step medical triage hierarchy:

Priority	Trauma Type	Danger Mechanism	Immediate Action
1. Vitality	Heart / Consciousness	Brain hypoxia from cardiac arrest	Perform CPR compressions immediately
2. Bleeding	Arterial / Venous Gush	Rapid hypovolemic circulatory shock	Apply direct pressure wrapping with bandage
3. Chest	Tension Hemothorax	Collapsed lung and asphyxiation	Insert puncture tube / chest decompression drain
4. Skeletal	Bone Fractures	Internal tissue laceration during motion	Immobilize limb with wooden splint before walking
5. Pathogen	Bacterial Infection	Systemic sepsis over 12–24 in-game hours	Flush with alcohol / apply antiseptic tincture
6. Shock	Pain & Mental Panic	Pain shock causes sudden blackout	Administer analgesic root / rest in shelter

How does the bandaging and pressure mechanic work?

Bandages in Casualties: Unknown do not instantly restore hit points; instead, they simulate mechanical haemostasis and physical compression over severed blood vessels. Keep pre-treated dressings pinned on your utility belt via our Essential Bags and Containers Guide for instant access.

1. Equip bandage in active hand: Open your inventory and hold the dressing in your main action slot.
2. Select injured body region: Open the health diagnostic silhouette and click the specific bleeding limb or torso zone.
3. Hold compression: Keep the mouse button depressed to tighten the wrapping around the laceration. Rushing or releasing early results in a loose dressing that leaks blood through the cloth within moments.
4. Bandage quality matters:
   • Makeshift Rag: Crafted from dirty foliage or clothing scraps. Stops minor capillary oozing, but has an 85% contamination rate that introduces lethal bacteria.
   • Standard Bandage: Packaged medical gauze. Provides reliable compression with minimal infection risk.
   • Sterile / Alginate Dressing: Found in drop pods. Actively clots arterial wounds inflicted by beasts like the Elder Thornback.

How do you prevent and treat wound infection?

Any open laceration that contacts muddy cave water, tick claws, or dirty makeshift wraps will contract a localized infection.

• Stage 1 (Redness & Heat): The wound edges inflame. You will notice increased local pain and a creeping fever. Wash the wound thoroughly using boiled water and pour alcohol or herbal antiseptic directly over the raw skin.
• Stage 2 (Pus & Throbbing): Greenish discharge begins draining. Bandages soak through rapidly with foul fluids. You must lance the buildup, clean the area, and take oral penicillin or chewed bitter-fungus extract.
• Stage 3 (Systemic Sepsis): Your character begins shivering, sweating profusely, and suffering auditory hallucinations. Without high-grade antibiotics, sepsis is fatal within one in-game day.

How do you handle fractures and broken bones?

Falling from heights or suffering blunt crush blows from falling boulders creates bone fractures.

• Never run on a fractured leg: Walking on an unsplinted fractured tibia causes the bone shards to rip through surrounding muscle tissue, transforming a simple closed fracture into a massive internal hemorrhage.
• Crafting a quick splint: Learn the tool recipe in our Crafting and Tools Progression Guide to combine 2× Rigid Sticks with 1× Fabric Strip or Vine.
• Application: Open your medical paper doll, select the fractured limb, and apply the splint. The limb will be stabilized, restoring basic limping mobility without worsening tissue damage.

How do you manage mental stress and psychological trauma?

The dark, claustrophobic subterranean layers inflict heavy psychological attrition. Facing horrifying predators, spending extended hours in pitch darkness, or taking human life pushes your mental health bar into a downward panic spiral.

• Signs of mental breakdown: Screen distortion, audible whispering, tunnel vision, involuntary hand tremors, and spontaneous panic sprints into hazards.
• Stabilizing morale: Light a campfire, consume warm cooked rations, brew calming herbal tea from cavern flowers, and sleep in an enclosed rocky alcove.