I cut myself with a knife when cutting a bagel. bleeding pretty heavily... how do i know if i need stitches? how can i stop the bleeding?

Squeeze it!: Direct pressure clean gauze. Elevate it above your heart. Get some help, have someone put pressure on the the big pulsing artery in your armpit. You need stitches if you can't get the bleeding to stop or if you can't move or feel your finger past where the cut is and to decrease the chances of it opening up again after the bleeding stops. Did u do this before or after u broke your toe?

Hold pressure: Hold pressure to stop the bleeding. It may take 10-15 minutes of constant pressure. Once the bleeding has stopped, look at the cut. If you can see fat tissue, and/or the skin edges are separated much, it may need stitches. If you have numbness or loss of the ability to move the finger joints, you need to see a hand surgeon.

Local pressure: Mainly it depends on where the laceration is located and how deep it is. Does the finger function normally. Is there any skin numbness? Is it affecting the fingernail or nail bed? Less dangerous if it is the palm side of the finger tip. Best to have it looked at if you are not sure. Local pressure with gauze bandage will stop the bleeding unless you are on blood thinner medication.

To stop bleeding: Apply pressure and elevate the extremity. It's a bit difficult to give any absolute rules about when to seek medical attention but certainly if there is much fat showing or if there is an inability to move the digit, if blood is squirting away from the wound or if you have numbness you must seek medical attention. Anything all the way through the skin and longer than about 1/2 inch should probably be seen also. After six hours it's too late to suture a woman.