Cut my finger...Stitches?

Joshua312 · 12-02-06, 09:06

While at work tonight I had an accident while preparing the bar. Cut a good portion of my finger on an angle. Has been bleeding now for 7 hours. Is it too late for me to go in to get stitches? Or as long as it is bleeding can they still stitch me up?

By the way it was cut with a pretty big carving knife not a little cutting knife...But our boss refuses to use the small ones so it is pretty wide as well as deep!

Thanks guys,
-Josh

Warning! Pictures are on page 2 so please do not continue if you dont want to see it

CleanGSR · 12-02-06, 09:14

If you can't get the bleeding stopped after 7 hours, then you might want to go to an after hours doctor or hospital regardless. Just my opinion.

Setec Astronomy · 12-02-06, 09:16

I would go to the emergency room if you are in doubt. Do you have insurance?

Joshua312 · 12-02-06, 09:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

I would go to the emergency room if you are in doubt. Do you have insurance?

It will be covered under workers comp my bosses said so I do not need to worry about a bill. They said if I feel like going in to feel free....but they said they doubt I will be able to get stitches since it has been almost 7 hours since it occured.

J.J. · 12-02-06, 10:08

They most likely will not close a dirty wound, such as the one you are referring to, after such a prolonged period of time. We usually do what is called a delayed closure. You need to clean the wound real well using any antispetic you can stand (alcohol is best- it will hurt). After three to seven days, they can then place sutures in the wound.

These decisions are best made by a ER physician who can actually inspect the wound and make a clinical decision as to its management. My advice would be to see a physician so the appropriate steps maybe taken. Unfortunately, it will likely take awhile to be seen in the ER.

If you decide not to be seen, be sure of the following:

- You need to be sure you've received a tetanus shot in the last 10 years.

- You need to be sure you've retained all neurological and motor function of the wounded finger.

- If you notice any red streaking, develop fever, or notice any numbness, tingling or weakness you need to be seen by a physician immediately.

- Do not expose your finger to any detailing buckets (dirt in general). Keep it clean and well wraped so as to avoid contaminants/ bacteria.

Most wounds can heal on their own if properly cared for. Healing by secondary intention, which means allowing deep wounds to heal w/o stitches, does leave a noticably large scar.

Dr. JJ

Joshua312 · 12-02-06, 10:12

JJ, Thank you very much! As soon as I got home I poured alcohol on the wound to clean it lol and yes it did hurt!

I will be going to the hospital first thing in the morning to at least make sure things are looking okay and to get the opinion of someone who can inspect the wound.

My finger has been tingling tonight and I've been a little light headed...but not sure if the head issue has to do with my finger or just an overall long day. Thanks again for the advice, I really appreciate it!

Picus · 12-02-06, 10:42

Hey, I just had a similar thing happen and J.J described almost exactly what the doctor did to me when I went in the next day (I cut my finger on a dust shield on a rotor). They cleaned it really well, had me do some movement tests and eye-finger stuff, then wrapped it up really well and told me to come back in 3 days for stitches. I went back, got 4 stitches and they're just starting to disappear.

If you're light headed I think you should definitely go to the ER.

velobard · 12-02-06, 11:16

Josh, if you're still up reading this, I'd definitely recommend to head in tonight to have it looked at. The symptoms you're describing aren't too cool and you really should have it seen. If you were in a real pinch without insurance coverage or $$$ I'd say clean it out really well and use super glue to close it, but in this case it's best for sure to have the pros take care of it.

GregCavi · 12-02-06, 11:30

Ya, if your still up, head to the ER now.

Greg

35TH LE · 12-03-06, 12:08

Bleeding for 7hrs is really bad man.. go to the Dr. immediately.

ZoranC · 12-03-06, 12:35

What the ... are you doing here posting? I hope you already went to ER. I wouldn't have waited even 5 minutes if I know cut is bad. Longer you wait better chances are for infection. For your own sake I hope you already went. Make sure you also get tetanus shot if you didn't have one recently.

DaGonz · 12-03-06, 07:50

Bleeding for 7 hours? Unless you are on a blood thinner medicaction like Coumadin, there may be an underlying medical problem. Definitly make an appointment with you physician and get some bloodwork done ( if you have any left)