Open wounds are something which we all encounter at least once in our life, some of them are minor ones that can be treated at home, however, the others that are serious need to be attended to by experts in Yonkers wound care. If serious wounds are ignored, they can lead to severe infection and can also lead to several conditions that result from open wounds. These conditions include lockjaw, necrotizing fasciitis, and cellulitis.

What Are the Signs That the Wound Requires Professional Medical Attention?

• If the wound is deep; more than half an inch.
• If it is resultant of a serious accident and is profusely bleeding.
• If the wound doesn’t stop bleeding even after applying direct pressure to the area.
• If the wound is continuously bleeding and it doesn’t even stop after 20 minutes.
• If you see any signs which point towards a possible infection. These might include fever which is above 100.4°f which doesn’t go down within 4 hours, a soft lump that can be felt in the armpit or the groin region, a foul odor with pus leaking from the wound, and it is not healing the way it should.

What Are Different Types of Open Wounds?

An open wound is an injury that involves rupture of body tissue, they might be a result of several things like sharp objects, falling, or accidents on the road. There are different types of these wounds, let’s take a look at them:

• Laceration- These are cuts in the skin and are a result of mishappenings with sharp tools like knives, scissors, etc. This type of wound is characterized by a lot of bleeding.
• Abrasion- As the word suggests, these are the outcome of the body rubbing or scraping against a rough surface. The most common example will be road rash. These don’t bleed a lot but immediate cleaning or you might end up getting an infection.
• Avulsion- These wounds show a complete or partial tearing away of the skin and the tissue that lies beneath it. These are often a result of violent things like gunshots, road accidents, and explosions. These bleed profusely and can even lead to severe blood loss.
• Puncture- In this type of wound a small hole is made into the skin by a pointy long object like a needle or a nail. These don’t really bleed much but can lead to damage to the internal organs, so, they need a tetanus shot with immediate effect.

Clare Louise