Okuzeka
Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Bleeding and Wounds

Laceration

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ˌlæsəˈreɪʃən/nounCommon term

In emergency medicine & first aid, laceration means: A wound where the skin is cut or torn, often with uneven edges, for example from glass, metal or a fall onto a sharp edge.

In Turkish: kesi, yırtık yara, laserasyon

How it is used

A formal word for a cut, written in notes and handovers with its size and site: 'a 3 cm laceration to the forehead'. Lacerations are cleaned and closed with stitches (sutures), glue or adhesive strips. Patients usually just say 'cut' or 'gash'.

Example sentences

  1. She has a 4 cm laceration on her scalp that will need stitches.

  2. Small lacerations to both hands from broken glass.

Common collocations

  • scalp laceration
  • deep laceration
  • suture a laceration
  • facial laceration
  • woundAn injury where the skin or other tissue is cut, torn, pierced or broken, for example by a knife, glass, a fall or a bite.
  • abrasionA shallow wound where the top layer of skin has been scraped off, for example after a fall onto a rough road.
  • bleedingThe loss of blood from a damaged blood vessel, either out of the body through a wound or inside the body where it cannot be seen.
  • dressingA sterile pad or covering placed directly on a wound to protect it, absorb blood and help it heal.

More terms: Bleeding and Wounds

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.