Have you cut yourself with a knife accidentally? Are you wondering what to do after that? It’s expected that the kitchen is the place where the maximum mishaps happen.
For example, you may cut yourself while chopping veggies. Hence, the kitchen is considered the best and, at the same time, the worst place to get a minimal to a deep cut.
In case you cut yourself while preparing food, infection is your biggest foe. Fortunately, water and soap are the essential things to wash the wound.
Having accidents with knives may or may not be an emergency as it depends on how deep, long, and where the cut is positioned.
Therefore, this article will elaborate on the detailed steps after having accidents with knives.
Steps to follow after having knives’ accident
In case it’s not an emergency, as a simple cut results in blood oozing from it, follow the steps below:
- Wash the cut with water and soap
Several disinfectants are available on the market, but nothing can beat the efficiency of warm water and plain old soap.
Make sure to clean the wound while it’s bleeding, as it will be ineffective to wash the site after it stops. Moreover, this will wash away the scab, and bleeding may start again.
- Stimulate the blood to ooze out of the wound for a few minutes
You must squeeze out the blood a little extra as long as it’s not coming out like a garden hose. It’s because a bit of bleeding aids in flushing out any bacterial infection.
Lastly, take out the excess blood under running water.
- Prevent the bleeding
Over the cut, you need to place a gauze bandage, any cloth material, or a towel and gently apply pressure until the bleeding ceases. However, finger elevation will be beneficial too.
- Visit a general surgeon or call 911 if the person feels dizzy
If the person with a cut starts feeling dizzy or weak, it would be better to avail of services from a general surgeon to be safe than sorry!
The first aid for cuts with knives
The kitchen knives are sharp, and if you don’t heed while chopping vegetables or meats, they could slip and slit your finger.
So, as mentioned above, after cleaning the wound with soap and water, use an antibacterial ointment in case it’s a minor wound.
Next, you must put it all over the cut and mask the wound area with adhesive tape or bandage. It might need stitches if the cut is more profound, like a half-inch.
The best way to examine it’s to pull the edges apart, and it will be worthy of a trip to the urgent care center.
The fundamentals of knife safety
As you know about the steps to follow after accidentally cutting yourself with a knife, here’s a quick list of the fundamental kitchen knife safety regardless of the item you’re missing.
- Be sure about the chopping board, if it’s safe to use or doesn’t slip.
- You need to keep your thumbs and fingers away from the sharp knife. The knuckles must stick further than the fingertips while latching on to an item.
- It would be best if you never slice toward yourself.
- While chopping veggies or cutting meats, you must focus on what you’re doing. It means to keep your head down when the knives come out. If you keep talking to your kids while dicing and slicing, chances are higher that you might get hurt.
- You should never wave your knife in the air.
- Therefore, if you need to make gestures while talking, keep the knife aside before you initiate the chat.
- You must keep the blade sharp and clean. Also, don’t forget to keep its handle dry to intercept the knife from slipping.
- Reduce the use of kitchen knives while preparing foods. In case you have to open cans or boxes, utilize a proper tool for the task.
- Once your work with a knife is over, make sure to keep it out of reach of the tiny hands.
Conclusion
Knife injuries are not that fatal, and they can cause significant bleeding only if the wound involves amputation or is deep. This is when you need emergency medical care to stop the bleeding.
However, a minor cut can be treated with the help of the methods mentioned above. Any minor to significant cut can be diagnosed and treated with a visit to an urgent care center.
While coming in for care, a surgeon will check your cut to find out if there’s any deep cut, and they will also check for numbness and some sensation problems.
After that, based on the type of cut, you will need physical therapy or surgery to recover fully.
Sandra is a health blogger based in San Diego, California. She is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle. She loves being outdoors and exploring new places with her husband. She is a mom of two awesome kids and a dog named Luna!