Laceration Management☆☆☆★★★♢♢♢
Abstract
In 1996, almost 11 million lacerations were treated in emergency departments throughout the United States. Although most lacerations heal without sequelae regardless of management, mismanagement may result in wound infections, prolonged convalescence, unsightly and dysfunctional scars, and, rarely, mortality. The goals of wound management are simple: avoid infection and achieve a functional and aesthetically pleasing scar. Recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of tissue adhesives has significantly expanded clinicians’ wound closure options and improved patient care. We review the general principles of wound care and expand on the use of tissue adhesives for laceration repair. [Hollander JE, Singer AJ: Laceration management. Ann Emerg Med September 1999;34:356-367.]
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☆ From the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, * and the Department of Emergency Medicine, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY. ‡
☆☆ Editor’s note: This article continues a series of special contributions addressing state-of-the-art techniques, topics, or concepts. State-of-the-art articles will be featured in Annals on a regular basis in the next several volumes.
★ Hoechst Marion Roussel provided honoraria to the authors of this state-of-the-art article. Annals is grateful to Hoechst Marion Roussel for their continued support of emergency medicine.
★★ Address for reprints: Judd E Hollander, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ground Floor, Ravdin, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4283; 215-662-2767, fax 215-662-3953; E-mail jholland@mail.med.upenn.edu.
♢ 0196-0644/99/$8.00 + 0
♢♢ 47/1/98305
PII: S0196-0644(99)70131-9
© 1999 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
