First Aid and Emergencies
Cuts
When you see a cut (laceration),
the first steps are to stop the bleeding and determine whether stitches are
needed.
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Stopping Severe Bleeding
Wash your hands well with soap and water. Put on
medical gloves or place several layers of fabric or plastic bags
between your hands and the wound.
Elevate the site that is bleeding.
Remove any visible objects from the surface of the
wound. Do not attempt to clean out the wound.
Press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth or the
cleanest material available. If there is an object deep in the wound,
apply pressure around the object, not directly over it.
Apply steady pressure for a full 15 minutes. Don't
peek after a few minutes to see if bleeding has stopped. If the
bleeding does not seem to be slowing down during this time, call
911 or emergency services. Continue to apply pressure to the wound.
If blood soaks through the cloth, apply another cloth without lifting
the first one.
If severe bleeding decreases after you apply pressure
for 15 minutes, but minimal bleeding starts again once you release
the pressure, apply direct pressure to the wound for another 15
minutes. Direct pressure may be applied up to 3 times (total of
45 minutes) for minimal bleeding. If bleeding (more than just oozing
small amounts of blood) continues after 45 minutes of direct pressure,
call a health professional.
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If the cut is bleeding heavily or
spurting blood, see "Stopping Severe Bleeding" on See
Stopping Severe Bleeding.
Bleeding from minor cuts will usually
stop on its own or after you apply a little direct pressure.
To decide whether stitches are needed,
See Are Sutures Necessary?.
If stitches are needed, apply Home Treatment and seek medical care as soon as possible, certainly within 8 hours.
If stitches are not needed, you can clean and bandage the cut at home.
Wash the cut well with soap and water. Treat an animal
bite like a puncture wound. See
Puncture Wounds.
Stop any bleeding by applying direct, continuous pressure
over the wound for 15 minutes.
Leave small cuts unbandaged, unless they will become
irritated. Cuts heal best when exposed to the air.
If a cut needs bandaging, but not stitches, apply antibiotic
ointment (such as Polysporin or Bacitracin). The ointment will keep
the cut from sticking to the bandage. Do not use rubbing alcohol, hydrogen
peroxide, iodine, or mercurochrome, which can harm tissue and slow healing.
Use an adhesive strip (such as Band-Aid) to provide continuous
pressure. Always put an adhesive strip across a cut rather than
lengthwise. A butterfly bandage
(made at home or purchased) can help hold cut skin edges together:
Using a clean scissors, cut a strip from a roll of
2.5-cm (1-inch) adhesive tape and fold it sticky side out. Cut notches
into the tape as shown in illustration A.
Unfold the tape; then fold the notched pieces together,
sticky side in as in illustration B. The centre of the tape will
not be sticky. Keep the part that will be over the cut clean.
Place one end of the tape on the skin. Then pull
the other end to close the wound tightly as in illustration C.
If the cut is long, use more than one bandage.
Apply a clean bandage at least once a day, or when the
old bandage gets wet. Leave the bandage off whenever possible.
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| Butterfly bandages
are best for closing a long cut. |
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If a person who has been cut goes into shock, even if bleeding
has stopped. See Shock.
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If a cut continues to bleed through bandages after you
apply direct pressure for 15 minutes.
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If the skin near the wound is blue, white, or cold; if
you have numbness, tingling, loss of feeling; or if you are unable to
move a limb below the wound.
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If the cut contains, or might contain, foreign objects
such as wood or gravel.
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If the cut needs stitches. Stitches usually need to be
done within 8 hours.
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If you have been cut and your tetanus shots are not up
to date. See Immunizations.
If you need a tetanus booster, you should have it within 2 days of being
injured.
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If signs of infection develop:
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Increased pain, swelling, redness, or tenderness.
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Heat or red streaks extending away from the cut.
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Fever of 37.8°C (100°F) or higher with
no other cause.
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