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A teenage boy was so eager to open his biggest Christmas present, he grabbed a kitchen knife and tore at the ribbon. Ouch. Got the ribbon and stabbed his hand.

A worker at a sub shop was slicing up tomatoes when he got distracted. Oh man. Took off the side of his finger.

A mom was hurrying to get dinner on the table. She opened a can of soup, but the lid got stuck. When it snapped off the edge of the lid cut her finger.

Cuts happen to the best of us; sharp edges seem to be waiting to get us. Not only do cuts hurt, but they often bleed profusely. Sometimes they look more serious than they really are. And some need complicated medical treatment. Appropriate inital first aid can help sort all this out.

If there is bleeding, then pressure should be applied to the area for five to ten minutes to minimize the blood loss. Use a towel or cloth over the wound and apply pressure with one hand. Never use a tourniquet or band that surrounds an entire limb; that will cut off all blood supply and is far more risky than the original injury would be. Most of the time, pressure will eventually staunch the flow of blood. If a cut is especially deep and the blood pumps from a small artery even after pressure has been applied, first aid won't be enough. Reapply the pressure and seek medical attention.

If the bleeding stops, then the next step is to clean the area with water. This means running copious amounts of clean tap water or bottled water over the wound; cold water will help control bleeding as well as swelling. Hot water should be avoided. Don't scrub the area (this will make it start bleeding again) and don't apply alcohol or peroxide. These agents cause unnecessary tissue damage. Flushing the wound with water is the best approach to washing away dirt and bacteria.

Finally, examine the cut. If the edges stay close together and gentle traction, where you attempt to separate the edges, does not open the wound, your job is nearly done. A bandaid or gauze pad taped over the wound is sufficient treatment.

If the edges of the wound separate, especially if you can see the tissues underneath the skin, then you will need stitches. Apply a gauze dressing, or wrap the area in a clean towel or cloth, and seek medical care. A wound can be stitched up within 24 hours of the injury; the sooner it is done, the less risk of infection there is.

The boy who stabbed himself with the knife when opening his Christmas present has a more complicated injury than a simple cut. It also needs to be flushed out with water. But because deeper structures, like blood vessels, nerves, tendons and ligaments, might also be injured, and because deep wounds are more likely to become infected, further medical care should be sought. Wrap the area in gauze or a clean cloth, apply a cold pack, elevate the area to minimize swelling, and seek medical care.

If a cut is deep and tissue is removed, like the guy who cut off the side of his finger, follow all the basic steps with pressure, irrigation, and wrapping. But also try to retrieve the missing tissue. Putting the tissue in a plastic bag is sufficient. I had good success reattaching the side of that guy's finger. He came in to the office quickly, the area was clean and the tissue he had cut off was in good condition. I treated it like a skin graft.

Basic first aid of routine cuts will go a long way to preventing infection and making any needed repairs a success.

Learn more about this author, Harriet Squier.
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