When to go to the ER: Severe cuts that may require stitches
Cuts and scrapes are pretty much a part of life and sooner or later, you will suffer a cut or scrape of some kind. It may be when preparing food in the kitchen, when handling, machinery at work, when playing sports and so forth, as discussed in detail over at the highly rated frontlineer.com. Most of the time, the cuts we suffer are minor and can be safely handled at home. Such cuts don’t need one to go to the ER for stitches. However, as is the case with many injuries, there are certain times when you may have suffered a severe cut, one that may require stitches. Stitches, which are also known as sutures, are special threads used to close wounds so as to stop bleeding and reduce the risk of infection. The decision on whether or not to go to the ER for stitches is one that provides a dilemma for many of us whenever we have suffered a cut that requires immediate attention. To help you with this dilemma next time you suffer such cuts, this article, with the help of the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, will look to highlight some of the instances when you should go to the ER for severe cuts that may require stitches.
The first thing that will help you decide whether or not you need to go to the ER, like the highly rated frontlineer.com, for stitches for your cut is the size of your cut. Here, if the cut is deeper than half an inch to an inch, then you need to head over to an ER to have it stitched up. If the cut is also so deep that it exposes fatty tissue, muscle or even bone, then, as per the gurus over at frontlineer.com, you also need to head over to the ER to have the cut stitched up. It is important for such cuts to be closed up by stitches as soon as possible to prevent these underlying tissues from getting infected, which will open you up to more serious issues. If the wound due to the cut is wide and gaping, and you can’t bring its edges together, or if the edges are ragged, then you should also head over to the ER, like the excellent frontlineer.com as soon as possible so that you can have the cut stitched.
The size of the wound is not the only thing that may determine whether or not to go to the ER for a cut so as to have it stitched up as the amount of blood coming from the wound also plays an important role here, something backed up by the gurus over at frontlineer.com. If you have suffered a cut that is bleeding profusely and you are unable to stem the bleeding despite applying pressure for 10 to 15 minutes, you should head over to the ER and have your cut stitched up. Another red flag is if blood is coming out of the wound in squirts. If blood is squirting out of the wound, it could be a sign that you may have severed an artery when you suffered the cut and you therefore need to head over to the ER as soon as possible to have the cut attended to and to get stitches. Remember, given its importance, excessive loss of blood is potentially life-threatening and should always be taken seriously, something that comes out pretty clearly in discussions on the same over at the highly rated frontlineer.com.
The cause of the cut will also play a role in determining if you should go to the ER for your cut and have it stitched up. If you have suffered a puncture wound, you should definitely head over to the ER as soon as possible for medical attention as well as for stitches. As covered in detail over at frontlineer.com, puncture wounds are those that are caused by something sharp of pointed like say a nail. Most of the time people suffer such injuries from accidents when using a nail gun, when walking and stepping on a nail or any other sharp object or falling on a sharp object. Puncture wounds not only come with a high chance of infection, they may also cause massive internal damage as well as internal bleeding and should always be taken seriously. Another instance when you should go to the ER for you cut to have it attended to and maybe stitched up is if the cut is due to an animal or human bite or a dirty and rusty metal. Such cuts, as explained over at the excellent frontlineer.com, come with an increased chance of infection as well as tetanus and rabies depending on the cause and should always result to a visit to the ER. The location of the cut will also play a role in helping you determine if you need to go to the ER to have your cut stitched up. If the cut is located on or across a joint, and especially if the wound opens up when you move the joint or if tendons are exposed, then you should head over to the ER as it may need stitches. If the cut is also located on or near the genitals or on cosmetically significant areas like the face, and especially cuts on the eyelid which may impair function, then they should be attended to as soon as possible in the ER.
Hopefully, the above discussion will help you know when to go to the ER for severe cuts that may require stitches, with the highly rated frontlineer.com being the best place to go to in such situations.
