A Cut on the Foot Leads to Hospital Stay

Summertime is great in Texas. We have clear skies, very hot weather and plenty of lakes to cool off in. So you would think that a fun day on the lake with your friends should leave you with some funny stories to tell your children when they are old enough. But for one patient this weekend, it landed her in the hospital with urgent surgery and IV antibiotics...and did I mention pain...lots!

All you lake and river rats, take notes. This very pleasant young patient was enjoying a day on the lake when she cut her foot on broken glass on a sandy beach just at waters edge. She knew it was not just a small nick in the skin and immediately went to the local ER. She was treated and sent home with antibiotics and told to follow up with her physician to remove her stitches in a week. Within 3 days her foot become so red, swollen and painful that she took herself to another ER where she was admitted with a severe foot infection.

So what happened? She did all the right things. Unfortunately, she needed more aggressive antibiotics. What she had is called a laceration which is a traumatic cut in the skin. It it normally deeper than skin and often requires stitches to close the injury. Appropriate care of any laceration includes a deep cleansing to remove dirt and debris and any foreign objects that might be sitting in the wound. Sometimes this can be done in the ER, but there are times that cuts may need to be taken to the operating room for more aggressive "washing" or what we call incision and drainage. Once the wound is clean and sutures or stitches are used to close the skin, then healing occurs within 10-14 days.

So what happened here? The lake is what happened! Lakes, rivers, oceans and stock tanks are full of water borne bacteria and with our 100+ degree weather certain bacteria are thriving. These bacteria are very aggressive, not killed with basic antibiotics and cause severe infection. They can lead to tissue loss or even limb loss in unhealthy patients.

If you do happen to cut your skin while enjoying water activities, don't ignore it. Seek treatment right away and make sure you get antibiotics and a tetanus shot to prevent a possible surgery in the future!