Should my boyfriend have a deep wound- hole like need immediate medical attention? my boyfriend cut his hand with a scraper-like tool at work yesterday and i am afraid his cut might need stitches, however, we do not have any medical insurance and therefor

Oh : Oh my. It sounds like he has two separate injuries. The first issue is that he cut his hand deeply enough that you are concerned that he might need stiches. Usually, sutures are placed within 12 hours of an injury due to concerns about possible infection. Cuts to the hand can be quite serious, because of the way the hand is compartmentalized. An infection can spread quickly in the hand and cause loss of function. The second injury is a deep arm puncture wound contaminated by battery acid. You have done what is termed bathroom surgery to cut away blacked skin but could only debride to a certain level. His tetanus status is unknown. Signs of infection include: redness, swelling, drainage, red streaks, fever, warmth. Your boyfriend has two high risk injuries and uknown tetanus status. I really think that he needs medical attention. If he doesn't get evaluated and develops serious complications the cost physically and financially could be much greater.

This : This is a reminder of why everyone needs to always, always, always have an emergency fund. Having said that: i agree with dr. Fowler. These are 2 high risk injuries for infection and delayed care can be much more costly. A tetanus vaccination is a must. If you don't know why up-to-date vaccination is important, google "tetanus" and click "images". The contorted figures you'll see should convince you that you don't ever want to get the disease. A deep chemical burn, such as the battery acid wound, can destroy more tissue than you can see. A puncture wound with a scraper can also inject bacteria deep into the tissues. At this point, the wounds need to be very clean and open. Closing the wounds or allowing them to close too quickly will only increase the risk of infections. Obviously, seeing a qualified hand surgeon or going to an emergency room is the best way to go.

Deep : Deep puncture wounds are prone to infaction becase the tissues close up leaving pockets of debrisor bacteria deep in the wound. They are also hard to wash out. Yellow drainage can be a reaction to chemical, foreign bodies suchas debris from the injury or bacterial infection. Get evealuated and especially if this continues or leads to increased swelling or redness.

As : As bed as some aspects of medical care are in this country, you should still be able to get to just about any er and get taken care of even without insurance.