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Original poster

DS split his cheek playing rugby while away with school. Can anyone with first aider knowledge reassure me? Photo attached.

40 replies

sunshinehappydays · Yesterday 17:05

My DS is away on another continent on a school trip and split his cheek while playing rugby today. He was assessed by a first aider who didn’t think he had broken his cheek and felt the split wasn’t deep enough to need glue or stitching. It stopped bleeding very quickly and although it’s swollen he’s not in pain. They put on lots of steristrips and he’s to keep these dry until he’s home on Monday. I feel useless as I’m not with him to check but wondered if anyone with any more first aider knowledge than me has any advice. Thanks!

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DS split his cheek playing rugby while away with school. Can anyone with first aider knowledge reassure me? Photo attached.
OP posts:
HCAokay · Yesterday 17:24

I work in a gp surgery. Our GPs wouldn’t even assess an injury like this (we work on a triage system) because they have no way of knowing if there is a fracture or not, so there’s no way a first aider would know. They would be told not to book an appointment and to go to A&E instead. It’s a bit hard to actually see the cut tbh, so not clear if it needs sutures or not.
Are you in contact with the supervising adults? In their shoes, if I had responsibility for other peoples Dc, I would want to take a teen to be checked out to make sure they were okay.

Original poster
sunshinehappydays · Yesterday 17:24

Yes I spoke to the teacher with him. He said they spent lots of time feeling his cheek and getting him to move his face etc and are not concerned about a fracture. My DS doesn’t feel any pain in his cheek. It’s more the cut I’m concerned about. They felt it was superficial but it’s just hard when he’s so far away.

OP posts:
Sidge · Yesterday 17:28

That’s not a decision for a first aider to make. Their responsibility is to manage the initial injury eg stop bleeding, apply steristrips or a dressing, and facilitate assessment by a professional.

I’d be seriously angry at their response and be asking them to take him to some sort of minor injuries unit for a HCP to do a proper assessment.

(I’m a nurse practitioner).

croisette · Yesterday 17:31

I’m no professional but if that was my child I would take that for a proper assessment as I suspect it needs a glue/stitches. Even if not I’d want a professional opinion it didn’t. After all
its his face and could leave quite a scar. I’d make a fuss OP.

Original poster
sunshinehappydays · Yesterday 17:34

Ok thanks all. I’m glad I posted. We’re just phoning back the teacher now to ask him to get checked out by the hospital/minor injuries.

OP posts:
LoyalGoldMentor · Yesterday 17:34

A First Aider should not be diagnosing. Get him to minor injuries and seek medical advice.

HollyhockDays · Yesterday 17:43

That high on his cheekbone I’d want an X-ray. I had an undiagnosed cheek fracture over 30 years ago and it still causes problems.

PleaseDontTreadOnTheDaisies · Yesterday 17:44

I would definitely want that assessed by a proper medical practitioner, not just a first aider. That's a nasty cut on his face and medic will know what to do to minimise scarring.

itsgettingweird · Yesterday 17:47

A first aider cannot diagnose nor are they trained to close a wound deep enough to need steri strips.

CPRMummy · Yesterday 17:48

First aid trainer here. No first aider should say there's no fracture present, they'd have no idea without an x-ray. A good knock could also knock teeth out of line. As for the laceration, they shouldn't apply steri strips (not meant to be used for first aid on members of the public, just hospital or home use), so it should get checked for depth.
Pop him down to your local minor injuries.

NeverDropYourMooncup · Yesterday 17:49

CPRMummy · Yesterday 17:48

First aid trainer here. No first aider should say there's no fracture present, they'd have no idea without an x-ray. A good knock could also knock teeth out of line. As for the laceration, they shouldn't apply steri strips (not meant to be used for first aid on members of the public, just hospital or home use), so it should get checked for depth.
Pop him down to your local minor injuries.

Might take a while to fly to him, pick him up, fly back and then wait to be seen.

Legomum789 · Yesterday 17:51

I’m a paediatric first aider in a school. If this happened at our school he would be sent for an x ray and also checked for concussion because of an impact to his head. Please check he’s being monitored for concussion and compression as these can come on after an impact to the head. I don’t want to scare you but I think it’s better to be safe than sorry. I hope it’s a superficial injury and it heals quickly but unless anyone on the trip has xray vision they have no way of knowing that he’s definitely ok.

Original poster
sunshinehappydays · Yesterday 17:52

Spoke to the teacher at length. He is going to find out the qualifications of the person who assessed DS. If it was a first aider they are going to get him checked out at the hospital tonight. They have a medical team attached to the trip so the person who assessed it may have been more qualified than a first aider, don’t know. She was happy for him to keep playing as the cut wasn’t deep at all but his teacher thankfully told DS just to stop playing.
I’ll just need to wait and see what happens but thanks all for your replies.

OP posts:
Original poster
sunshinehappydays · Yesterday 17:53

The teacher also said it was an elbow during a tackle that made the cut. I’m not concerned about concussion but agree need to be vigilant.

OP posts:
Original poster
sunshinehappydays · Yesterday 17:54

Yeah he’s in South Africa.

OP posts:
Arlanymor · Yesterday 17:57

Very weird that if it's a rugby trip they don't have proper protocol in place to deal with this - I played for 20-odd years, maybe a bit longer, and I have seen the inside of more A&Es in more countries then I care to admit! They need to get him checked out properly, facial injuries are a real hazard in rugby. Hope he gets seen soon and that he enjoys the rest of his time away.

CPRMummy · Yesterday 18:24

NeverDropYourMooncup · Yesterday 17:49

Might take a while to fly to him, pick him up, fly back and then wait to be seen.

Show quote history

They probably have medical facilities in South Africa to take him to, saving on all the flying.

Girliefriendlikespuppies · Yesterday 19:12

Thats needs stitches or gluing…

theresbeautyinwindysun · Yesterday 19:16

You are within your rights to insist it’s assessed by a professional. You’ll just worry otherwise.

Glenthebattleostrich · Yesterday 19:17

I have been a first aider for 27 years (that makes me feel so so old) and did first aid in a school.

I would definitely send that to minor injuries, if it needs steristrips it needs checking. Plus the swelling could be hiding worse.

Original poster
sunshinehappydays · Yesterday 19:20

We have. It was assessed at the pitch when it happened and we are waiting to find out the qualifications of the assessor. If it was a doctor I think we need to trust them. If it was a first aider the teacher is going to take DS to hospital after their activity tonight.

OP posts:
Original poster
sunshinehappydays · Today 07:51

Just an update as I have been awake worrying most of the night! The person who looked at his injury yesterday was a paramedic. After their activity yesterday evening DS’s teacher took him to a large private hospital they have used before where he was seen by a doctor. DS got a tetanus vaccine and his wound was washed out. The doc stitched his cut with five stitches. He’s got a waterproof dressing over the stitches and they have to be taken out after ten days. Poor DS but he seems absolutely fine. Thanks for all the comments-they helped loads.

OP posts:
Ineffable23 · Today 08:03

Glad to hear they've sorted him out. Must be so hard with him being so far away!

Aknifewith16blades · Today 09:57

Well done for sticking to your guns and pushing for proper treatment.

Jopo12 · Today 10:10

Glad he's been assessed properly.

I had 3 twelve year olds at home alone last autumn (I had popped to my mum's)and they decided to play together in the hallway. One of them tripped and put his arm through the glass window of the kitchen door and I got a video of blood!

I rushed home to look at the wounds, and none of them were deep, but one was wide and I was concerned about glass in the cuts. It was definitely time to go to a&e. There was no doubt.

You son's teacher should have gone straight away, there will have been muck in the cut, and if it needed steristrips to bring the would together then it was wide enough to need stitches..5 is quite a lot!