Slimming food for the holidays par excellence, oysters (and especially their opening) can be the cause of small domestic accidents, in particular hand injuries. A study conducted in 2018 by the Institut de la main had even revealed that the opening of oysters caused each year no less than 2,000 accidents. And for half, damage to the nerves or tendons and a risk of loss of functionality of certain fingers. So what are the good reflexes in case of injury? Answers with Dr Jean-Paul Fontaine, head of emergencies at St Louis Hospital in Paris.
Wash the wound with soap and water
“No need to use pharmaceutical products, alcohol or worse, coffee grounds, onions or other more or less fanciful grandmother’s remedies, immediately warns Dr. Fontaine. You would aggress the injured skin unnecessarily. Soap and water are more than enough to remove all the particles.” The doctor then advises to carry out this cleaning with meticulousness. “If there is no bleeding, this cleaning should be enough”, he reassures, even if he does not rule out a trip to the doctor the next few days to check that the wound remains superficial. On the other hand, if it is bleeding profusely, cover it with a clean compress by tightening it. Sometimes it’s difficult to hold a dressing on this area so a compress can do the trick provided it is clean, further specifies the emergency doctor.
Do not panic in case of heavy bleeding
Just because your fingertips bleed a lot doesn’t mean it’s bad. The important thing is to clean well with soap and water, and to go to the emergency room. “In the event of a deeper injury, 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 don’t hesitate to call the emergency services to check. They may be able to refer you to institutes specializing in hand accidents.
Do not hang around to consult
- Do not wait two days to go to a doctor, or to the emergency room. A reasonable and rapid delay is strongly recommended;
- Provide the necessary documents;
- Bring your health record 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 for you at the same time) especially if information concerning vaccines is mentioned;
What to do 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 pass the piece of finger under water, to dry it and to preserve it in a clean bag with ice.
But before we get there, we take precautions. Do not use just any knife to open oysters, but perform this operation with a specific tool intended for this purpose. Protect yourself with mesh gloves. You can possibly ask your scaler to open them first. This will avoid major scares and eliminate any risk of spending the holidays in the emergency room.
