Very low urgency
Common-
Any injury to the hand that affects the skin, causing a loss of its integrity.
It is generally due to falls, blows, burns, weapons and other types of accidents.
It can manifest with bleeding, pain and redness. If infection is added, it may be accompanied by discoloration, swelling, heat, pain, peeling, itching, etc. Depending on its severity, medical assistance may be necessary.
The diagnosis is obtained through interrogation and physical examination of the injured area.
Depending on the depth of the wound they are classified as:
- Superficial or simple: they damage only the external layers of the skin (epidermis and dermis), without affecting noble elements such as blood vessels, nerves or tendons.
- Deep: they extend beyond the deepest layer of the skin (subcutaneous cellular tissue) affecting various tissues, skin, muscle or bones. Reconstruction and regeneration will be more difficult.
- Perforating: they penetrate organic cavities, injuring organs.
- Impalement: caused by a sharp object that remains trapped in the body, causing different types of injuries and organ damage.
In many cases they can be managed at home or on an outpatient basis. If the injury is deep or the bleeding is very significant, you should receive assistance from a specialist in a hospital.
- Pancorbo-Hidalgo P. Investigación sobre las heridas. Gerokomos [Internet]. 2016 ; 27( 3 ): 89-90. Disponible en: http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1134-928X2016000300001
- MedlinePlus: Información de Salud para usted [Internet]. Estados Unidos: National Library of Medicine. Disponible en: https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/woundsandinjuries.html
- Amstrong D, Meyr A. Clinical assessment of wounds. UptoDate [Internet]. 2018. Disponible en:https://www.uptodate.com/contents/clinical-assessment-of-wounds?search=wound%20diagnosis&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=1
Dr. Oscar Garcia-Esquirol
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