/ EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
PATIENT INFORMATION FOR YOUR CARE /

Care of the Patient with a Wound or Burn

(Lacerations, Stitches/staples, Glue, Burns, Sunburn)

□Lacerations (cuts) and Abrasions (scrapes)

  1. Keep the wound dry for the first 24 hours. After that, you may cleanse it gently with water once or twice daily. It should remain dry between cleansings.
  2. DO NOT use alcohol or peroxide, which are toxic to healing tissue.
  3. After cleansing, cover the wound with an antibiotic ointment (such as Polysporin) and a bandage.
  4. Some swelling, redness, and pain is common with all wounds and normally will go away as the wound heals. If swelling, redness, or pain increase or if the wound feels warm to touch, call your physician or return to the ED.
  5. Freshly healed skin is more likely to sunburn – make sure to use sunscreen when the wound is completely healed.

□Stitches or staples

  1. Follow instructions for Lacerations as above.
  2. Your stitches or staples should be removed by a physician in ______days.
  3. If your wound was stapled, you should have been given a staple remover. Bring it with you to your physician when you go to get the staples out.

□Wound glue

  1. Wound glue forms an immediate and lasting waterproof dressing, so the wound does not require daily cleansing or antibiotic ointment.
  2. The wound should remain covered with a bandage so the glue is not rubbed off too soon.
  3. The glue will naturally fall off over 3-5 days, after which time you should follow the instructions for Lacerations as above.

□MinorBurns (not including Sunburn)

  1. Keep the burned area covered at all times.
  2. Unless otherwise instructed, apply an antibiotic ointment (such as Polysporin) to the burned area. Use of aloe gel is also acceptable.
  3. The dressing and ointment need to be changed daily. Before fresh ointment is applied, the previous day’s ointment should be gently cleansed off.
  4. Some swelling, redness, and pain is common with all burns and normally will go away as the burn heals. If swelling, redness, or pain increase or if the burn feels increasingly warm to touch, call your physician or return to the ED.

□Sunburn

  1. Sunburns are painful, superficial burns that are rarely serious.
  2. For relief of pain, you may apply cool compresses to the burned area. You may also use an anti-inflammatory pain medicine, such as ibuprofen (e.g. Advil, Motrin). Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure if you can safely take this medicine.
  3. Keep the area covered if possible. You may use aloe gel or other ointment as prescribed by your doctor.
  4. The dressing and ointment need to be changed daily. Before fresh ointment is applied, the previous day’s ointment should be gently cleansed off.
  5. Some swelling, redness, and pain is common with all burns and normally will go away as the burn heals. If swelling, redness, or pain increase or if the burn feels increasingly warm to touch, call your physician or return to the ED.

These instructions are not intended to be all-inclusive, and may not cover all possibilities. If a new problem develops, or if you have any further concerns or questions please contact your primary care provider, Telehealth Ontario at (866) 797-0000, or return to the ER.

RoyalVictoriaHospital of Barrie, 201 Georgian Drive, Barrie, OntarioL4M 6M2 (705)728-9802

RVH-3290 (Rev Nov 28, 2006)