This is the VOA Special English Health Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。
Hospital emergency rooms treat injured fingers all the time. Without treatment, a bad cut can lead to permanent damage. But how should a person know when a bleeding cut is serious enough to require medical attention?
医院急诊室24小时接诊手指受伤的伤者。如果不治疗，伤口严重时可能会导致永久性损伤。但当伤口流血时，我们如何才能知道伤势严重到需要就医呢？
We asked Dr. Martin Brown, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Virginia.
我们就此咨询了弗吉尼亚州Inova Alexandria医院急诊科主任马丁·布朗医生。
First, the medical term for a cut or tear in the skin is a laceration. Dr. Brown says the length is usually not as important as the depth. He says a long cut on a finger can likely be treated without a visit to a doctor if the wound is not very deep.
首先，皮肤伤口或裂口的医学术语称为“撕裂伤”。布朗医生称，一般情况下，伤口的长度没有深度严重。如果手指上的伤口很长但不是很深，一般可能不用就医处理。
MARTIN BROWN: "If you have a short but deep laceration where there's been a structure underneath that's been damaged -- a tendon, a nerve, a blood vessel -- it may, in fact, need professional attention."
布朗：“如果伤口很短，但却很深，损伤到了肌腱、神经、血管等深层组织，就需要专业的治疗。”
Some injuries -- like a fingertip that gets cut off -- might even require surgery to repair.
像指尖被切断一类的伤害，甚至可能需要手术修复。
MARTIN BROWN: "That requires a specialist to either file down the bone or reattach the fingertip. More often, filing down the bone is what is done because reattaching a fingertip is often not successful."
布朗：“这种情况一般需要专业人员截骨或续接。通常在断指续接失败的情况下截骨。”
How a wound bleeds can be a sign of how serious it is. Minor cuts usually produce what is known as venous bleeding. This means the blood flows steadily from the injury. The bleeding will often stop when pressure is put on the wound.
伤口的流血情况能显示其严重程度。小伤口通常会引起静脉出血，也就是说，血液从伤口缓慢流出。按压伤口通常就可以止血。
Dr. Brown says in most cases holding direct pressure with clean gauze or a cloth for four to five minutes should stop the bleeding. With a cut finger, holding the hand above the heart can reduce the loss of blood.
布朗医生说，多数情况下，用清洁纱布或布料绑住伤口四到五分钟即可止血。如果是手指受伤，将头举到高过心脏可以减少失血。
But if a cut appears to be pumping blood out with some force, this may be a sign of arterial bleeding. This kind of injury should be treated by a medical professional as soon as possible.
但是，如果血液从伤口喷涌而出，这可能就是动脉出血的迹象。这种伤口必须尽快就医治疗。
Even a cut that does not require medical attention must be kept clean to prevent infection. Small cuts should be cleaned gently with clean water. Use a washcloth to clean the area if the wound is dirty. Dr. Brown says cuts should be covered with a clean, dry bandage.
即使伤口无需就医，也务必保持伤口清洁以防感染。小伤口可以用清水细心清洗。如果伤口有点脏可以使用毛巾清洗。布朗医生说，伤口应该用清洁干燥的绷带包扎。
Bacteria and other microorganisms can enter the body through a cut in the skin. One kind of infection that can result is tetanus. The first signs of this disease include difficulty opening the mouth -- often called lockjaw -- and difficulty swallowing.
细菌和其他微生物可以通过皮肤的伤口进入体内造成感染，其中一种感染是破伤风。破伤风的初期症状包括张嘴困难和吞咽困难，张嘴困难通常称为牙关紧闭。
Tetanus can be deadly. But children and adults can be protected against tetanus with vaccinations. Adults should be vaccinated against tetanus every ten years.
破伤风是致命的，但是儿童和成年人可以通过接种来预防。成年人应该每10年接种一次破伤风疫苗。