Click here to find your closest Legacy location and get the care you need, today! Previous Next. But with larger cuts and lacerations, additional medical care may be necessary. Where should I go for treatment? Do I go to an ER or urgent care? Most wounds that require closure should be stitched, stapled, or closed with skin adhesives also called liquid stitches within 6 to 8 hours after the injury.
Some wounds that require treatment can be closed as long as 24 hours after the injury. Removing stitches is a much faster process than putting them in. The doctor simply clips each thread near the knot and pulls them out. Any stitches or staples used on the outside need to be removed in about 7 to 14 days, depending on the location.
If a deep cut does not get the proper treatment, it can become infected or not heal properly. Also called a laceration, a cut is different from an abrasion surface wound and avulsion when a chunk of skin is torn away. Lacerations have the potential to be very deep. National Library of Medicine , a deep cut is more than a quarter-inch deep. Luckily there were already right there in the ER.
But now there is another option — urgent care clinics also know as walk-in clinics. Sadly, many people are still uninformed about this second choice and visit the ER when it is not warranted. Not only is this a more expensive choice for them, it is forcing ER staff to divert attention away from patients who do need emergency care. And studies have shown the top three reasons for ER visits are usually sprains and strains, upper respiratory infections, and superficial cuts. All of these can be treated efficiently and for less at an urgent care clinic.
So, when should you choose an emergency room over an urgent care clinic?
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