When a Cut Requires Stitches

We’ve all experienced times when we or one of our friends or loved ones gets a scrape, gash, or cut and we have to quickly determine if it’s serious. While most cuts and scratches heal on their own with a Band-aid ® and some TLC, others are deeper and need medical care, and may possibly require stitches. 

At Grassroots Healthcare, our team here in Tulsa, Oklahoma offers quick and expert urgent care services when you have a cut, gash, or wound. In this blog, we share some crucial information to help you determine when stitches are necessary.

First steps when you get a cut

It’s perfectly natural to panic when you see blood, but it’s important to stay calm and follow these steps:

• Wash the cut with warm water
• Use a soft towel or cloth to apply pressure to slow the bleeding
• Elevate the wounded area above your heart, if possible

If the bleeding slows and the cut tries to seal automatically, it’s likely that it will heal up on its own over the next week or so. 

When a cut is severe

To determine if a cut is severe, consider these factors:

• Is it deep?
• Is it longer than a half-inch?
• Does it have dirt, grime, or debris in it?
• Is anything sticking out of it, such as a limb, nail, glass, or metal?
• Are the edges rough and do they lack uniformity?
• Can you see bone or muscle?
• Is it on your face or neck?
• Is blood spurting or pouring even after you’ve applied pressure?

If you answer yes to any one of the questions above, then you should proceed to the nearest urgent care center or emergency room for medical attention.

What to expect if you need stitches

If your injury requires stitches, we’ll clean the area thoroughly and numb it so that you won’t feel any discomfort while one of our providers places the stitches. Before we suture the area, we’ll take a quick X-ray to make sure that all the debris is cleared. With medical thread, we close the wound and sew it tautly together. Depending on the size of the cut, stitching the wound generally only takes a few minutes.

Our team sends you home with detailed aftercare instructions to tend to your wound safely, and we’ll also talk to you about signs of possible infection to watch out for, such as red streaks, swelling, pus, or drainage. In a week or two, you’ll return to have your stitches removed. 

To evaluate a cut or wound and see if it requires stitches, don’t hesitate to take advantage of our urgent care services. We’re here to serve you. Call now.