When does a cut need stitches? Cuts, wounds and infection signs

Most small cuts from a kitchen knife, broken glass or a fall heal at home with good cleaning. According to MedlinePlus, some wounds carry a higher risk of infection: bites, punctures (a nail or a thorn), crush injuries, dirty wounds, wounds on the feet, and wounds that aren’t cleaned promptly.

What matters is knowing when a wound needs stitches or a tetanus shot, which happen in person, and when caring for it at home and watching it is enough.

According to MedlinePlus, get seen in person, because it may need stitches, if the wound:

• Is more than a quarter inch (0.64 cm) deep
• Is on the face
• Reaches the bone

According to MedlinePlus:

According to the CDC, after a clean, minor wound you get a tetanus booster if your last shot was 10 or more years ago. After a dirty or major wound, such as a puncture, a bite or a burn, the booster is given if your last shot was 5 or more years ago. MedlinePlus also advises getting care for a wound from a fishhook or a rusty object.

Tetanus shots are given in person. If you don’t know when your last dose was, ask at an urgent care center, your pharmacy or your doctor.

According to MedlinePlus, watch for these over the next days:

• Warmth and redness around the wound
• Throbbing pain
• Swelling
• A red streak spreading from the wound
• Pus or drainage from the wound
• Fever

We don’t place stitches or give shots by video. What Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, a Puerto Rico–licensed general practice physician with several years of emergency-department experience, does is check your wound on camera: whether it is healing well, whether there are signs of infection, and whether you need to be seen in person. We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy. We do not prescribe controlled substances. It is an urgent care visit by video for problems that aren’t emergencies.

If infection is spreading through the skin, read about cellulitis. If an animal bit you, read animal bites in Puerto Rico first. If you stepped on a sea urchin, see sea urchin spines.

Request a visit online 24/7 — we confirm your time by email or text.

1. 1Request your visit and pay by card. Choose Doctor visit.
2. 2We send you a secure video link. It works on your phone, tablet or computer. Have good light so you can show the wound.
3. 3The doctor checks your wound. If appropriate, she prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy, or she tells you where to go in person.

A doctor visit costs US$79, the same price for every age, with no membership. Your card is charged when you request the visit, and you get a full refund if the visit can’t take place. We see adults and children of all ages; for patients under 21, a parent or legal guardian stays on camera with photo ID. You need to be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit. Book your visit.

According to MedlinePlus, call 911 or go to an emergency room if bleeding is severe or won’t stop, or if the person can’t feel the injured area or it doesn’t work right. See when to go to the ER.

• Severe bleeding, or bleeding that doesn’t stop after 10 minutes of pressure
• You can’t feel or move the injured area normally
• An object stuck in the wound
• A deep wound, one on the face, or one that reaches the bone (needs in-person care today)
• An animal bite, especially from a mongoose
• A red streak spreading from the wound, with fever