Cuts And Grazes

Go to your nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department as soon as possible if:

• you cannot stop the bleeding
• you're bleeding from an artery blood from an artery comes out in spurts with each beat of the heart, andis bright red and usually hard to control
• you experience persisting or significant loss of sensation near the wound or you're having trouble moving any body parts
• you have received a severe cut to the face you may require urgent treatment to prevent scarring
• you have received a cut to the palm of your hand and it looks infected these types of infection can spread quickly
• there's a possibility a foreign body is still inside the wound
• the wound is very largeor the injury has caused a lot of tissue damage

In A&E, yourwound will be examined to determine whether there's any risk of infection. You may needa booster injection to prevent tetanus , and your wound may beclosed with stitches, strips or special glue before a dressing is applied.

If your wound is at risk of infection,it won't usually be closed because this may trapany infection inside. Instead, it will be packed with a non-sticky dressing before being covered witha protective dressing until it's safe to close.