Brief overview
- What to do in case of a cut? Clean the wound, disinfect it, close it (with plaster/bandage), possibly further measures by the doctor (e.g. stitching or gluing the wound, tetanus vaccination).
- Cut risks: Severe skin, muscle, tendon, nerve and vascular injuries, wound infection, high blood loss, scarring.
- When to see a doctor? For deep wounds with gaping wound edges, heavily contaminated wounds, and wounds where it is difficult to stop bleeding.
Attention.
- If the cut bleeds very heavily, a larger blood vessel may be injured. In such cases, you must tie off the injured body part. Then call the emergency medical services!
Cut wound: What to do?
If a cut is only a minor flesh wound, you can usually treat it on your own without any problems. However, make sure to clean and disinfect the wound carefully. Otherwise there is a risk that the wound will become infected. More serious cuts should always be treated by a doctor.
Cut wound: healing time
First aid measures for cuts
For cuts, you should administer first aid as described here:
- Allow small wounds to bleed out: Allow small cuts to bleed a little before dressing them. This flushes dirt particles out of the tissue.
- Rinse wounds: You should carefully rinse heavily soiled cuts with cool tap water.
- Stop bleeding: Press a sterile dressing lightly on the wound for five to ten minutes until the bleeding subsides.
- Cover the wound: For a small cut, a band-aid is usually sufficient. Larger, more bleeding wounds should be treated with a sterile pad and a gauze compress. If necessary, a pressure bandage is also useful.
- Elevate the wounded body part so that less blood flows in.
- Off to the doctor: Heavier bleeding, larger wounds, wounds with frayed or gaping wound edges and those that are heavily soiled must be treated by a doctor!
Wounds should remain as sterile as possible. Therefore:
- Refrain from “home remedies” such as applying flour, butter or onion juice.
- Do not touch the wound with your mouth, do not suck on it, do not blow on it (“blow away ouch”) – saliva contains many germs.
- Do not rub or squeeze the wound.
Cut on the finger
- Clean and disinfect the cut.
- Cut a piece of adhesive tape approx. 10 cm long.
- Cut a small triangle in the middle of the strip on the right and left side.
- First place the plaster on one side of the finger so that the triangle cutouts are at the very top of the fingertip.
- Then fold over the other half and press firmly.
If the cut on the finger throbs, it is usually an indication of infection.
Fingertip cut off
It can happen quickly when cutting or slicing vegetables: A deep cut gapes in the fingertip, possibly it is even largely or completely severed. Usually there is then a lot of blood flowing. This is what to do in such cases:
- You should press the loose piece of fingertip firmly with a sterile compress.
- Fix the compress with plaster or a gauze bandage.
Laceration: Risks
Most of the time, incision wounds heal without problems. However, complications can occur.
Cut wound: Infection
Since the protective skin barrier is broken in a cut wound, germs can easily enter the wound. If this causes the cut to become infected, the doctor treats the infection with ointments or tablets containing antibiotics.
If left untreated, wound infections can spread to the tissue or to other organs. In the worst case, life-threatening blood poisoning (sepsis) develops.
In the case of a cut, pay close attention to warning signs of infection such as severe swelling, pain or discharge of wound secretions and pus. In case of such symptoms, you should definitely consult a doctor!
More extensive injuries
Cut wound: When to see a doctor?
A superficial cut that hardly bleeds and whose wound edges are close together can be treated by yourself with the help of disinfectant and bandages. Clamp plasters that close the wound without tension are helpful.
A deep cut that bleeds heavily or has gaping wound edges, on the other hand, is a reason to visit a doctor.
A visit to the doctor is also advisable in the case of a deep cut because the patient may need a vaccination against tetanus. This should be administered as soon as possible after an injury.
Cut wound: examinations by the doctor
First, the doctor will talk to the patient (or parents in the case of injured children) to obtain a medical history. Possible questions to ask include:
- When and with what did you (or your child) cut yourself?
- Has a fever occurred?
- Are there any complaints such as numbness or problems moving the affected body part?
- Are there any pre-existing conditions (e.g. diabetes – worsens wound healing)?
- Are you (or your child) taking any medications (e.g., cortisone or other drugs that suppress the immune system)?
Physical examination
Blood test
The doctor can use a blood test to determine whether the patient has lost a large amount of blood as a result of the injury. An infection also shows up in the blood count: certain blood values are generally elevated when there is inflammation in the body, for example the number of white blood cells (leukocytes).
Cut wound: treatment by the doctor
- Cleaning the cut
- Wound irrigation with saline solution
- Wound closure with plaster, tissue adhesive, staples or suture
- Treatment of bacterial wound infection with antibiotics
- Tetanus vaccination for deep, contaminated wounds
- if necessary, immobilization of the injured body part (especially in case of wound infection)
- if necessary inpatient treatment (in case of severe or heavily infected cut wounds)
- if necessary, surgery, e.g. in case of vascular, ligament and nerve injuries or pronounced wound infections
