The hands are one of the parts of our body most exposed to even the smallest accidents, especially domestic ones. But what should be done with superficial or deep cutting wounds? Luciana Marzella, a specialist in hand surgery at Humanitas and a guest in the Buongiorno Benessere studio at Rai Uno, spoke about this topic.
“Traumas in the kitchen are very common and often due to distraction. We can cut ourselves with knives, but also with the immersion blender, often while you wash it”, underlined Dr. Marzella. The specialist also confirmed to disconnect the plug before washing the blender immersion, stressing that not everyone does, thus exposing themselves to the risk of cuts due to unintentional power-up of the appliance, which can also cause electrocution.
Surface Wounds
“If the wounds are superficial, we can intervene by disinfecting the wound and using common gauzes and then put on a plaster. Check if you can move your fingers, otherwise there may be tendon injuries, and if you have the sensitivity on both sides of the finger you cut. In the presence of alterations, a deeper trauma must be suspected and it is advisable to go to the first aid station.
Very frequent are the traumas from amputation of the apex, or the loss of a small piece of skin in the upper part of the finger. There’s no need to worry, as this wound heals itself in most cases. However, it is advisable to disinfect and then buffer the wound, tightening your finger with gauze so that it stops bleeding. You don’t have to put your bleeding finger under running water, even if it’s usually the first thing you do, because under the water jet the wound will continue to bleed,” said Dr. Marzella.
What do I do in case of amputation?
“Amputation of a finger is also a fairly common trauma and it is very important to know how to behave in these cases because in Italy there are Hand Surgery Centers that provide for a Microsurgical Unit, as in Humanitas, specialized in implants.
In the presence of an amputee finger, the amputee part should be wrapped in gauze without disinfecting or washing it, and hermetically sealed in a bag, such as those used for freezing or storing food. This hermetically sealed bag is then placed in another bag in which we will place some ice and some water, so as to keep the finger amputee refrigerated. This procedure is important in order to ensure that the patient has their finger replenished. The part of the finger that has remained attached to the hand is to be wrapped in gauze and plugged, also with the help of a towel, in order to interrupt the bleeding.
After this emergency procedure, we go to the emergency room, taking the bag containing the amputee finger with us,” concluded Dr Marzella.
Watch the full interview with Dr. Marzella from minute 25.55, click here
