If a cut is too severe to treat at home then it is important to take your child to A&E or to your GP as stitches may be required. Go straight to the A&E if the cut is to an artery or if the bleeding will not stop.
At the hospital, a healthcare professional will examine the cut to see whether or not there is any risk of infection. Factors that make an injury more prone to infection include jagged wound edges and any material inside the cut. If there is glass inside the cut, an X-ray may be required to ensure that it has been removed.
If there is no risk of infection:
If there is no risk of an infection being developed, the healthcare professional will clean the cut using a sterile saline solution before closing it. This may be done using stitches. You should never try to remove stitches yourself. They should only be removed by a healthcare professional.
Stitches (sutures):
These are usually used to close cuts that are more than 5cm long, or wounds that are particularly deep. Stitches are made from a sterile surgical thread, which is flexible and allows the wound to move. If the cut needs stitches, your child will have a local anaesthetic, which means he will be awake but will have no feeling in the area the cut is in.
