Have you cut your hand while cooking or DIYing?
A superficial wound is often easy to treat, but a cut in the palm should not be trivialized.. In the show “It’s going to be much better” on RTL, Dr Jimmy Mohamed, doctor and presenter, reminds us of the right actions and reasons for consultation.
The first steps: compress, wash, then protect
Dr. Jimmy Mohamed cites several classic domestic accidents: a child’s fingers stuck in a door, a cut with a mandolin, an injury while opening an oyster or pitting an avocado with a knife. He also emphasizes a practical point: with doors, parents often watch the slamming edge, while fingers can also get stuck on the hinges and hinges.
If the wound is bleeding, the first instinct is not to disinfect it or to constantly check to see if the blood is still flowing. The doctor reminds you that you must press firmly with a compress or a clean cloth, without releasing after a few seconds. The first aid guidelines are clear: direct, prolonged pressure helps stop moderate bleeding. If the bleeding is heavy or persists despite pressure, you must call 15 or 112.
For an outage that is not a life-threatening emergency, the useful actions are as follows:
- Press directly on the wound with a compress or clean tissue if it is bleeding;
- Wash with plenty of clean water and soap before using the antiseptic;
- Remove only visible dirt that is easy to remove, without trying to explore the wound;
- Use an antiseptic if the wound is dirty, after washing;
- Then cover with a clean compress or dressing.
This point ties in with one of the strong messages of the column: many people think first of the antiseptic, whereas
washing with soap and water is the basic step for cleaning a cut. Protecting the wound then limits friction and new dirt. To learn more about the valid actions for a simple wound, you can consult the good actions to clean and protect a superficial wound.
After a cut, tetanus does not only depend on the object in question. A clean kitchen knife is not exposed to the same context as a soiled, deep wound or wound with a foreign body. But the practical rule remains the same: check your tetanus vaccination after a woundespecially if vaccination status is unknown or if the cut is dirty, penetrating or treated late. A medical opinion then allows you to decide what action to take. A useful reminder is available on tetanus vaccination after a cut.
Why the palm deserves special attention
The central message of Dr. Jimmy Mohamed concerns wounds of the palmar face, that is to say the palm. Even small in appearance, a cut can be deceptive depending on its depth and path. The hand contains fine and essential structures: a deep wound can reach a tendon, nerve or vesselwith consequences on the sensitivity or movement of a finger.
The doctor explains that an examination is not limited to looking at the skin: you must test the mobility, sensitivity and functioning of the fingers. He suggests, if necessary, referral to a hand surgeon, capable of exploring and repairing lesions that are not necessarily visible to the naked eye. This does not mean that every scratch requires a surgeon, but a palmar, deep or questionable wound must be examined quickly by a doctor.
Seek medical advice immediately if any of these situations occur:
- The wound is deep, long, jagged, close to a joint, or opens when you move.
- A finger moves with difficulty, no longer bends or extends normally.
- An area feels numb, numb, unusually painful, or tingling.
- A foreign body is present or the object in question was dirty or of questionable cleanliness.
- The tetanus vaccine is not up to date or you do not know your vaccination status.
- The injured person is diabetic, immunocompromised, on anticoagulants or has a bleeding disorder.
The chronicle mentions an ideal consultation time around a few hours, particularly when closure or exploration of the wound may be necessary. To remember without turning it into a single rule: the deeper the wound, located in the palm or associated with a sensitivity or movement disorder, the quicker the medical advice should be. To identify other risky situations, True Medical also details hand injuries and situations that require a consultation.
In practice, a clean, shallow cut that is well cleaned and which stops bleeding can improve favorably with appropriate protection. But if you are unsure about the depth, the dirtiness of the wound, the vaccination or the functioning of a finger, it is better to have it checked that the wound is not hiding a larger lesion.