When does a cut need medical attention?

M

miguel_SF

Joined
Jan 3, 2002
Messages
127
Hello All:

When I first started buying knives and surfing BF, I marvelled at how often people seemed to cut themselves. Now of course, I've done it to myself a few times. This weekend I put a 3/8" long cut down the tip of my thumb, maybe 1/8" deep at the worst spot (Bad EDC!). I applied and soaked through 4 bandages before I got the bleeding under control. I had a clean bandage on it for 3 days, and now it's well on its way to being healed. I did it right in front of my knife-hating girlfiend, but managed to conceal the damage.

It was pretty obvious that this was not a serious cut, because I didn't seem to have damaged any tendons or nerves, and because the bleeding stopped within a couple of hours. If I do this again in the future, I'll get down to the ER if something feels numb, if I lose any range of movement, or if the blood flow suggests a big blood vessel has been cut. But if it's just a cut, when do I need to have it stitched up or looked at by a doctor? When I cut down to the bone? When the pain makes me cry? Has anyone ever decided not to get stitches, and then wished that they had?

miguel
 
I cut myself pretty nasty with a Kershaw Avalanche and wished I'd gotten it stitched... but oh well. I was using it to pry/remove the safety from a disposable cigarette lighter. I but a little too much pressure and sliced through the safety and took the top off my left trigger finger joint. It didn't start bleeding til a few seconds later. I had to cut a strip off my shirt and tie it over the wound but blood started to soak through so I had to sit on it for half an hour. Now there's a piece of scar tissue 5mm x 4mm on my finger that looks ugly as hell.

Another time I was 11 and was carving the lid out of a pumpkin with a Classic SAK. I pulled the knife out of the pumpkin and made a slice on my left ringfinger on the joint running parallel with my finger. My aunt took me to the sink to wash it off and the force of the water spread the skin so I could see bone. That one took me to Kaiser to get stitches.
 
I'll go to the hospital when I have detached a finger(and I have come pretty close!). I don't like doctors much, and like the ER even less. So far I have done fine just stopping the bleeding with a towel or shirt. Except for the time I passed out on the floor, and hit my shoulder on the bath. Oh well, what can you do? Live and get cut.

One time I was using an XActo to stab open the bottom of a plastic bottle, and managed to stab my thumb. It was cut very close to the bone, if not all the way, just soaked up the blood with a bath towel, and put a band-aid on it. About two years later my brother dropped a burning sparkler on it. Second/Third degree burn, and just iced it. My left thumb has been cut and burned so bad now that all that is left is scar tissue.


Erik
 
I'd think if your thumb movement can cause the wound open up (or not closing at the first place) you should've got stitches.
Sliced the top of my right thumb once, almost cut all the way with a canlid and have to have stitches... didn't use it for like 2 weeks.
 
Originally posted by miguel_SF
If I do this again in the future, I'll get down to the ER if something feels numb, if I lose any range of movement, or if the blood flow suggests a big blood vessel has been cut. But if it's just a cut, when do I need to have it stitched up or looked at by a doctor? When I cut down to the bone? When the pain makes me cry?
Click to expand...

With the above exceptions, medical care for a cut is [mostly] about cosmetics. Do you WANT a big scar or just a small mark that will fade in a few years? Use Neosporin or vasoline and KEEP the wound moist the whole time it heals, and scarring will be minimal to none. For me, if the cut is too deep for neosporin, meaning that dirt, etc. may be trapped under the gel, I see a doctor. Disclaimer, last time I went to ER was 2.5 years ago. My new kitten had gotten out at night and as I brought him back in, I stepped on a drinking glass someone left on the porch. Being barefoot, I cut about 1.5 inches of the sole of my arch. Had the doc sew it up. In hindsight, I rather have done it myself. I now have a "caved-in" scar on my foot that won't fade away. I could have sew it myself (ordered emergency stitching gear for first aid kit ther month before) and it wasn't too deep. Neosporin would have worked. And the scar would be gone by now. The only down side: I would need to have redone the dressing everyday and maybe redone the stiches ONCE if at all! It would have been my first and second time "doing the Rambo" but it would have been PERFECT practice!

Just to add: Watch all "Home-brew first aid" like a hawk. At the first sign of infection use your health insurence!
 
I've been to enough hospitals for finger injuries. I was in the printing business for a long time, which was very hard on my fingers. I just don't bother with the hopspital anymore. All they do is clean the wound, stitch it and wrap it up; even when the cut goes down to the bone. I just do the repairs at home now. It's not that hard.
 
I closed my Calypso Jr Lightweight on my finger once whilst trying to close it one-handed, it cut to the bone and bled for a while but it certainly didn't require any medical attention. I'll go to get stitches if a wound is too uncomfortable (ie in a place where it keeps on rubbing against things) for me to live with or if i can't stop the bleeding. Scars don't really bother me.
Have a good one :)
 
I swear I've done it and it works.**** Don't bother trying this if you see bone, can't feel anything past the cut or there is bright red arterial blood spurting out of the cut.**** Clean it out well with something antibacterial. As soon as you can get the bleeding stopped, pinch the edges of the cut together and run a bead of superglue over the cut, cover it and protect it for a couple days. After the glue sets, you can apply a little Neosporin. I've had cuts that I KNOW could have used stiches or staples (had both) and I fixed it with SuperGlue. Now, If you REALLY want to play doctor, theres Surgi-strips...(I've had great luck with those too) Kinda wonder why I even bother with health insurance....
:mad:
 
Miguel, you've got an 8 hr window to go to the ER (Kaiser, USCF, General, etc) to get stitched up.

I learned this when I chopped into my hand with a short sword. Went into a shock, almost lost my lunch, and bled a bit. I went to the ER a day after where the staff told me about the time window.
 
Several years ago, I got myself good with my freshly sharpened AFCK. Bled like a proverbial stuck pig and went the the ER and got 5 stitches to close the wound. The doctor who worked on my hand said that it was a very clean cut....if there was any bright side to my incident, it would be that I have my sharpening techniques down pat :p In the 10 years I have been collecting knives, I have been cut many times that a band-aid and some ointment could easily fix, but this one time I knew that it would take a lot more than just a band aid to fix.
 
I've lost count of the cuts and injuries, been to the hospital for stitches, even tried to stitch myself once,(wouldn't recomend myself it took a half a bottle of rum till I got the nerve to try it) Gotta try the crazy glue idea, sounds neat. Did cut my finger with an AFCK once and when I went to the doctor he looked at the cut and asked what happened. When I told him he said good thing it was a sharp knife and it made a clean cut, meanwhile the nurse was laughing, when I asked what was so funny she said," Just think if it was real dull it might have just been a bad bruise".:(
 
I've done the superglue, too, though only on minor cuts. I've since learned that cyanoacrylate (sp?), the chemical known generically as 'superglue', contains cyanide. I've been told that once it's dry there's no cyanide present, but haven't gotten a definitive answer about liquid contact to the bloodstream. I've stuck to surgi-strips since.

As far as the ER, I agree that it's amazing how little they do for a cut. Clean and stitch, and you only need the stitches if the cut can't be closed and held closed with surgical strips. Having had a number of injuries (lifestyle problem) stitched, and even more 'home-doctored', I can say that the home-doctored healings generally look and work better in the long run.

Having said all that, if a cut's really bad I'll probably leave a trail of dust to the ER....

Larry
 
Wasn't cyanoacrylate developed during Vietnam as a battlefield wound closing tool?

Chris
 
There is a medical version of superglue. I doesn't have the toxic properties. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name. A Pharmacist should know, and be able to get it for you.
 
( donning chemist's hat ); While I can't gaurentee you 100% that there is no "free" cyanide present in superglues; I think there is very little. The cyanide is actually bound to an organic molecule. It is part of the monomer that polymerizes when superglue sets. Anyway the nasty stuff that will do you in is free inorganic cyanide. Note that it has to be free. If you use table salt you are actually consuming a small amount of cyanide. If you look at the ingredients you will see yellow prussiate of soda listed at or very near the bottom. This translates as sodium ferroCYANATE. There are 6 cyanide molecules bound to an iron atom; this is a stable complex, the cyanides do not come loose from the iron easily so it is not very poisonous (at least in the amounts used in salt). In case you were wondering this is used so the salt crystals will all be small and uniform; and if you're curious the sodium silicoaluminate is an anticaking ingredient.

Anthony Lasome
 
With the SuperGlue method You have the risk of a really bad infection inside the cut if its not 100% cleaned up, cause if there are any nice little animals left, they will have a really good party in this sealed area where nobody will disturb them.
 
Alasome,

Thank you for that cogent explanation. I sense my band-aid costs diminishing again...

Larry
 
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