Any deep, bloody injury probably needs stitches and the place to get stitches is urgent care. An injury needing stitches is beyond the ability of most people to treat themselves. It is highly inadvisable to try. First aid, even from a competent person, is not an alternative to proper treatment at urgent care.
Slashes and cuts through the skin are often called “sharps” injuries. They may also result in damage to the arteries, muscles and organs. In all such cases, stitches to close the wound may be just the last of many other treatments required. Shallow, bloody wounds may only require staples, rather than full sutures. This is, however, a decision for urgent care.
As a rule, merely asking if a trip to urgent care is in order implies that the answer is yes. If first aid cannot stop the bleeding, stitches and urgent care are required as soon as possible. Cuts to arteries distinctively squirt blood and can result in death if not treated with speed. Less serious injuries may still become infected if not properly treated.
All but the mildest cuts may require stitches. The epidermis is only a few millimeters thick before any cut pierces the fatty layer beneath the skin. Injuries this deep are highly prone to infection and need urgent care. Shallower cuts may still draw blood and be too wide to heal well without stitches. Any injury requiring more than a bandage is a candidate for stitches at urgent care.
Doctors use slim threads — stitches — to close a wound. They may be literal stitches, using a curved needle and surgical thread. Once upon a time, stitches would be manually removed once the wound healed. Today, stitches are made from a special thread that naturally dissolves over time. For shallow wounds, “stitches” may also be small staples holding the skin together.
Not all stitches are the result of an injury. Any surgery or operation is almost certain to require stitches to close the incisions. Many forms of cosmetic surgery also result in stitches. Urgent care, however, deals with stitches resulting from an injury.
Not all injuries requiring stitches are obvious. Internal injuries may have no visible signs on the skin, but then require a surgical incision to treat. Some injuries arriving in urgent care may not require stitches there but will ultimately be sutured following surgery. Urgent care still plays a role in these cases, taking initial care of the person and passing them on further treatment.
A good way to get to urgent care would be by ambulance. An injury occasioning a trip to hospital generally precludes driving there. Only if someone else is able to immediately drive the person should alternatives to an ambulance be considered. Even if competent first aid is performed at the scene, further help is still required. The injured person should still proceed immediately to urgent care.
Call us today at (703) 945-1942 for more information from Millennium Medical Care Woodbridge.
Check out what others are saying about our services on Yelp: Urgent Care in Woodbridge, VA.
Urgent care facilities play an important role in the healthcare ecosystem by bridging the gap between primary care and the emergency room. These facilities treat immediate health care needs that, while not emergencies, cannot wait for an appointment with one’s primary care provider. Understanding the capabilities of urgent care and the health issues they assist…
HIV testing can help patients understand their current health and prevent spreading the virus to others. Although there continues to be a stigma around HIV, urgent care and primary care providers work hard to make the patient comfortable throughout the testing process. Looking into the basics of HIV and routine testing can reveal how vital…
Pregnancy testing gives patients certainty about whether they are expecting. If unsure, an urgent care or primary care provider can administer these tests with a smaller margin of error than over-the-counter pregnancy tests. Although the process is straightforward, it is normal to have questions heading into the appointment. Exploring the answers to some of the…
Birth control contains hormones that can serve as contraception, acne treatment, or help manage conditions like endometriosis and PCOS. No matter the reason you are searching for “birth control near me,” you likely have several options to sift through. Knowing the basics of each option and its efficacy can help you narrow down the search…
Urgent care facilities play an important role in the healthcare ecosystem by bridging the gap between primary care and the emergency room. These facilities treat immediate health care needs that, while not emergencies, cannot wait for an appointment with one’s primary care provider. Understanding the capabilities of urgent care and the health issues they assist…
HIV testing can help patients understand their current health and prevent spreading the virus to others. Although there continues to be a stigma around HIV, urgent care and primary care providers work hard to make the patient comfortable throughout the testing process. Looking into the basics of HIV and routine testing can reveal how vital…