If Christmas rhymes with parties, champagne and good meals, we must not forget that unfortunately, the period can cause some domestic accidents. Among them, hand injuries figure prominently. According to the Institut de la main, a study carried out in 2018 revealed that opening oysters causes no less than 2,000 accidents each year. And for half, damage to the nerves or tendons and a risk of loss of functionality of some fingers. So what are the right reflexes in the event of an injury? Answers with doctor Jean-Paul Fontaine, emergency manager at St Louis hospital in Paris.
Wash the wound with soap and water
“No need to use pharmaceuticals, alcohol or worse, coffee grounds, onion or other more or less fancy grandmother’s remedies, Dr Fontaine immediately warns. You would attack the injured skin unnecessarily. Water and soap are more than enough to remove all the particles. “ The doctor then advises this cleaning to be carried out carefully. “If there is no bleeding, this cleaning should be sufficient”, he reassures, even if he does not rule out a little trip to the doctor the following days to check that the wound remains superficial. On the other hand, if it bleeds profusely, cover it with a clean compress while squeezing. Sometimes it’s difficult to put a bandage on this area so a compress can do the trick provided it is clean, further specifies the emergency physician.
Don’t panic if the bleeding is profuse
Just because the fingertips are bleeding a lot doesn’t mean it has to be serious. The important thing is to clean well with soap and water, and to go to the emergency room. “In the event of a deeper wound, the problem is no longer to repair and heal the skin but to heal what is under the skin, namely the tendons or the joints”, warns Jean-Paul Fontaine. So we do not hesitate to request emergencies to verify. They may be able to direct you to institutes specializing in hand injuries.
Do not hang around to consult
- Do not wait two days to go to a doctor, or to the emergency room. Reasonable and quick turnaround time is strongly recommended.
- Provide the necessary documents.
- Take your health record with you to go to the emergency room. In panic, we don’t necessarily think about it. However, this reflex will save precious time for doctors (and you at the same time), especially if information about vaccines is mentioned.
In case of cut finger
In this situation, you can quickly panic, so the easiest way is to dial 15. For those who have the courage, the ideal is to run the piece of finger under water, dry it and keep it. in a clean bag with ice.
But before we get there, we take precautions. Do not use just any knife to cut oysters, but do this operation with a specific tool intended for this use. Protect yourself with mesh gloves. You can optionally ask your scale to open them first. You will thus avoid big fears and eliminate any risk of spending the holidays in the emergency room.
Read also:
- Why does the risk of heart attack increase on New Years Eve?
- How to safely uncork a bottle of champagne?
- New Year’s Eve: how to avoid a hangover?
