Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIs It an Emergency?If It Is Not an EmergencyAfter the Bleeding Stops
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Is It an Emergency?
If It Is Not an Emergency
After the Bleeding Stops
If you cut yourself during food preparation, infection is your worst enemy. Luckily, soap and water are all you need to clean a wound, even one covered in bacteria.
This article explains how to identify an emergency and treat non-emergency kitchen cuts.
Verywell / Hugo Lin
Whether it’s an emergency or not depends on how long, how deep, and where the cut is located. The good news is thatfinger cutsare seldom life-threatening.
Withfinger cuts, the biggest concern is that you could lose finger function or even the entire finger. However, more severe cuts or amputated fingers do have the potential to be deadly. That’s because a deep gash across the palm or cutting off multiple fingers could lead to significant blood loss.
If the bleeding is severe (not just oozing) or blood is squirting, immediatelytake steps to control bleedingandcall 911. Also, if you’ve cut off any part of a finger, call 911. Both of those are real emergencies.
You most likely are not going to die from a finger laceration, but you want to move quickly to ensure the survival of the finger.
If blood is oozing from the cut, then follow these steps:
Once the bleeding has stopped and the wound is clean, you can dress it with an adhesive bandage. After you put a dressing over it, put a latex glove or plastic serving glove on that hand if you still have food prep to do.
Wait to apply antibiotic ointments or creams (such asNeosporin) until you finish in the kitchen.
If the cut is a half-inch or deeper and can see tissue below the skin, itmay need stitches.One way to test it is to pull the edges apart. If you can, then the cut is probably worthy of a trip to the emergency room or urgent care center.
Summary
A Word From VerywellIn addition to the information provided in this article, I would advise my patients to keep current on their tetanus shots. Although getting tetanus from a kitchen knife cut is unlikely, it’s always safer to keep current on immunization. Any skin injury with a break in the skin, including a small skin puncture, puts people at risk of a tetanus infection.—ARNO KRONER, DAOM, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
In addition to the information provided in this article, I would advise my patients to keep current on their tetanus shots. Although getting tetanus from a kitchen knife cut is unlikely, it’s always safer to keep current on immunization. Any skin injury with a break in the skin, including a small skin puncture, puts people at risk of a tetanus infection.—ARNO KRONER, DAOM, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
In addition to the information provided in this article, I would advise my patients to keep current on their tetanus shots. Although getting tetanus from a kitchen knife cut is unlikely, it’s always safer to keep current on immunization. Any skin injury with a break in the skin, including a small skin puncture, puts people at risk of a tetanus infection.
—ARNO KRONER, DAOM, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Traumatic amputation.University of Rochester Medical Center.Lacerations (cuts) without stitches in children.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Traumatic amputation.University of Rochester Medical Center.Lacerations (cuts) without stitches in children.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Traumatic amputation.University of Rochester Medical Center.Lacerations (cuts) without stitches in children.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Traumatic amputation.
University of Rochester Medical Center.Lacerations (cuts) without stitches in children.
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