5 Reasons to go to the Emergency Room : Deep cuts
A deep cut or puncture wound is a type of trauma that can quickly become infected and cause serious health problems if not treated. Seek medical attention if you have a deep wound that hasn’t stopped bleeding after 10 minutes, even if it seems like it’s not that bad. There’s no reason for blood loss to be a risk you need to take when there are skilled professionals ready and waiting in an emergency room. If possible, elevate your injury above your heart so it can more easily heal with less blood flow. Also, keep pressure on any wounds until you reach help; hand-held gauze and bandages can significantly reduce bleeding until professional aid arrives.
The likelihood of developing an infection in a deep cut is higher than you might think. People who don’t clean their cuts or who delay treatment are at risk for staph and other infections that can lead to serious health problems. While it might not be obvious, even shallow cuts can cause infections. To avoid infections, seek medical attention immediately for all cuts that require stitches or other forms of closure and seek treatment for any infection as soon as you notice symptoms (fever, redness around your wound).
Cuts on your limbs are often seen as superficial, but they can be deeper than you think. Superficial cuts tend to bleed profusely and hurt more than deep cuts. Deep cuts may not bleed much at all and could still be painful or sting; however, if ignored for too long, a deep cut might lead to serious complications like gangrene. The worst case scenario is that it could lead to amputation. Even if you’re not planning on going into surgery anytime soon, keep any wounds clean and talk with your doctor about what first aid measures you should take in order to stay safe. Washing hands is important: Most of us know how important hand-washing is when we want a clean kitchen or bathroom—but did you know that hands are dirty?
