Complications of a cut
The main complications of an incision wound are, on the one hand, the penetration of germs into the injured skin and, on the other hand, the injury of important structures such as nerves, tendons, muscles or vessels. In the case of cuts, the protective skin barrier is damaged so that bacteria have an entry port. This can lead to local inflammation of the area of the cut.
In the worst case, however, the germs can also spread into the blood and cause a general inflammatory reaction in the form of blood poisoning. The deeper a wound, the greater the risk of severing nerves, tendons, muscles and larger blood vessels. If deep cuts injure large blood vessels, this can lead to heavy bleeding, which can be life-threatening if the initial treatment is inadequate.
The severing of muscles, tendons and nerves can lead to loss of sensation (numbness), restricted movement and even loss of movement. Inflammation always occurs when the body or the immune system reacts to damaging stimuli. In the case of a cut, this can either already be the damage in the skin itself or the subsequent penetration of bacteria into the injured area.
The body’s own reaction then leads to a classic constellation of symptoms: On the one hand, messenger substances released by cells of the immune system cause blood vessels in the damaged area of skin to dilate, so that the blood supply to this area is improved, resulting in redness at the site. The increased blood flow leads to a greater number of defense cells being transported into the damaged area in order to fight off invading bacteria as efficiently as possible. In addition, the blood vessels become more permeable so that defence cells and blood plasma can pass from the vessels into the surrounding tissue.
This usually causes a more or less severe swelling. The increased blood flow also makes the corresponding skin area warmer, and the messenger substances also lead to an activation of certain pain receptors. All in all, an inflamed cut is reddened, overheated, swollen and painful, and sometimes functional restrictions (e.g. in movement) can also occur.A cut only fester if the wound is infected with bacteria.
Puss occurs when, on the one hand, certain enzymes of the invading bacteria and the activated defence cells of our immune system break down or melt down proteins in the surrounding tissue and, on the other hand, when killed bacteria and decaying immune cells are produced. The mostly yellowish-white pus is therefore not much more than an accumulation of proteins and cell debris. If a wound is festering, this is a sure sign of a bacterial infection and should be treated immediately.
Blood poisoning is the transfer of germs (bacteria, viruses or parasites) into the blood, usually via an external entry port – i.e. via injuries to the skin or mucous membrane – or from centres of inflammation on the internal organs (e.g. appendicitis, abscesses, inflammation of the inner heart wall, etc.). This is the case if an incipient inflammatory reaction is not treated in time.
If a cut becomes increasingly inflamed, the bacteria first spread in the area of the cut, but in some cases can also enter the bloodstream via surrounding blood vessels and cause blood poisoning. Via the bloodstream, the bacteria then very easily reach all other organs, especially vital organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys or brain. If you experience symptoms such as fever and chills, increased fatigue, lowered blood pressure, accelerated breathing and palpitations after an infected cut, consult a doctor immediately.
Numbness of a cut usually occurs when not only superficial layers of the skin are cut, but also slightly deeper nerves are injured. If only smaller skin nerves were cut through, the skin area immediately around the cut may be numb for some time after healing, but in many cases the feeling in this area recovers over time. In the case of very deep cuts, which also involve deeper, larger nerve injuries, however, more serious sensory disturbances can also occur. These can sometimes be irreversible.
