Lacerations / Cuts
Laceration occurs frequently in children as they are curious and active and do accidentally fall or run into things. You may be worried now that your child had sustained a cut and do not know how to handle the cut.
-
What should I do now? First aid treatment
These are some immediate first aid management you should institute:
1. Rinse the wound with water or antiseptic solution (if available) to keep it clean and to wash out the dirt and debris.
2. If the wound is still bleeding, you can apply some direct pressure over it for several minutes with a clean towel or gauze.
3. If the wound is still bleeding after 5 minutes of direct pressure, you should seek medical help.
4. Do keep the wound covered with adhesive gauze / tape.
-
What happens to a laceration?
The mechanism of the wound will affect the type of the laceration. A sharp cut will heal better and have better cosmetic outcomes as opposed to a crush injury which delivers more energy to the surrounding tissue, which may also be involved with abrasions or degloving of the tissue. Biological wounds like human or animal bite also have increased risk of infection.
The wound itself has to be evaluated for the tissue layers involved. This can extend down from the epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous tissue, muscle down to the underlying bony structure.
Also, certain areas, particularly over the face and hands, may have more specific concerns like vision if it is near the eyes, alignment and match of certain key features of the face like the lips, eyelid borders and eyebrows and underlying tendons of the hands and feet.
-
Management of the Laceration
Based on the type and extent of the wound, location of the wound and age of the patient, the laceration maybe managed under local anaesthesia in the emergency department or may require general anaesthesia in the operating theatre.
There may also be a need for repeat tetanus booster injection if the wound is highly contaminated of the booster dose is due.
-
Post-operative management
The repaired wound will be dressed for several days, to allow for re-epithelialisation. The type of dressing material used will depend on the underlying wound condition. An appointment will be provided for after care and management of the scar.
If you encounter this and are unsure what to do, also to allow for a more accurate assessment of the depth and management of the wound, do contact your nearby general practitioner or feel free to contact us.
Paediatric lacerations are generally covered under accident insurance, do double check with your insurance agent for your coverage plans.
