3. Determine if the wound may need stitches or not. A wound may need stitches if;
- It is still bleeding after 10 minutes of pressure.
- The edges of the wound gape more than 1cm apart.
- You can see stringy stuff, or yellowish bubbly stuff inside the wound.
- The wound is on your lower leg.
- The wound is on a joint, or an area where the skin is pulled a lot.
- If you work in a job where you get dirty and the wound has a high chance of getting contaminated.
4. If you think a wound needs stitches you need to be seen by a doctor within 12 hours. After 12 hours most wounds can not be stitched except for under special circumstances. This time can vary depending on the doctor, so it's always a good idea to get a wound checked out ASAP.
^ from the wound care guide up in the first aid articles because I can't link. Take care.
