Laceration on the head

Definition

A laceration occurs in areas of the body where there is hardly any subcutaneous fatty tissue and the skin lies directly on bone. The head, knee and shins are often affected. The laceration is also called a laceration-crush wound, which describes the development of the wound quite well. Through blunt trauma (fall, blow) the skin is pressed on the bone and tears or bursts open. Here you will find more general information on the topic: laceration

Causes of a laceration of the head

Lacerations are caused by blunt force trauma to the head. Often this happens by falling on hard ground or by hitting with a solid object (e.g. hammer, rod, fist …). Especially children get burst wounds when learning new motor skills, young adults through high-spirited behaviour or fights and older people through falls.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis is made by inspection of the wound edges. In case of incisions, the wound edges are smooth and lie on top of each other (adapted). It is different with lacerations.

As the name suggests, the skin has burst open at this point. The wound edges gape apart and are unevenly limited. Due to the separated wound edges, bleeding is increased and it takes longer for a crust to form. Therefore a laceration should be surgically sutured.

Accompanying symptoms of a laceration of the head

Burst wounds usually bleed very heavily. But often it looks worse than it is. Especially when blood spreads in light hair, it looks very dangerous.

However, since mostly only superficial small vessels are torn, the bleeding can be stopped quickly. Local pain continues, first stabbing, later dull pulsating. The tissue around the wound swells and a bump develops, which causes even more pain, especially when touched.

Depending on how severe the trauma was, it can lead to mild to severe general headaches. If the affected person also complains of nausea, this may have led to a craniocerebral trauma (SHT). A doctor should definitely be consulted.

Nausea, impaired vision or short-term loss of consciousness may indicate an additional cerebral haemorrhage. In this case, a hospital must also be consulted as soon as possible. A cerebral hemorrhage can be diagnosed by means of a head CT.