Once infected, complications stemming from the infection can multiply. The wound will not heal and will cause severe pain. It may spread to surrounding tissues, creating a skin infection or a bone infection, known as osteomyelitis. If the infection gets into the bloodstream, other areas of the body may become infected, creating a system-wide problem.

Note that not all infections occur at the surface. It is possible for a cut to become infected deep inside the wound without any prominent signs at the spot of the puncture. However, the pain and swelling will be felt inside the wound, and a pus pocket (called an abscess) may form deep in the wound. This may require surgical intervention or intravenous antibiotic treatments.

When to Call the Doctor

A doctor should be consulted if a patient with a wound notices expanding redness in the wound area, green or yellow pus draining from the wound, a red streak spreading outward from the wound, swelling, tenderness in the immediate area, fever or extreme pain in the wound areas.

Wound healing thrives in moist (not wet) conditions to stimulate the cells that promote healing. Dressings on the wound should be replaced daily (twice a day is ideal) and the caregivers should be careful to make sure hands are clean, bandages are not dirty, any instruments touching the wound are sterilized and wound dressings are used to promote healing. Any antibiotics applied directly to the wound or taken orally should be done under a doctor’s direction. Intravenous antibiotics may be administered if a blood infection occurs as a result of the wound. This condition is known as sepsis and is potentially life-threatening.