Decreased blood flow after a skin injury

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Decreased blood flow after a skin injury

Most cuts, bites, scrapes, and puncture wounds only damage blood vessels close to the injured skin. They usually do not affect blood flow away from the wound. Bleeding from a minor skin injury can usually be stopped easily.

Bleeding is more serious when:

• Blood spurts from the wound. This usually means the bleeding is from an artery, which is usually more difficult to stop.
• Blood flows steadily. This may be bleeding from a large vein, which can often be stopped with elevation and steady direct pressure.

Occasionally a skin wound will injure underlying arteries and cause decreased blood flow to the area below the injury. Changes such as tingling, burning, numbness, or moderate to severe pain pain in an arm or leg that occurs with cold, pale skin may mean you have injured an artery that supplies the blood flow to the arm or leg.

Permanent disability, including the loss of a limb, can result if an injury to an artery is not detected and repaired.

Credits

Last updated:	June 30, 2006
Author:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer