Health Report.Hospital emergency roomstreat injured fingers all the time.Without treatment, a bad cutcan lead to permanent damage.But how should a person knowwhen a bleeding cut is serious enoughto require medical attention?We asked Dr. Martin Brown,chairman of the departmentof emergency medicine at InovaAlexandria Hospital in Virginia.First, the medical termfor a cut or tear in the skinis a laceration.Dr. Brown says the lengthis usually not as importantas the depth.He says a long cut on a fingercan likely be treatedwithout a visit to a doctorif the wound is not very deep.MARTIN BROWN: "If you have a shortbut deep laceration where there'sbeen a structure underneaththat's been damaged-- a tendon, a nerve, a blood vessel-- it may, in fact,need professional attention."Some injuries -- like a fingertipthat gets cut off -- mighteven require surgery to repair.MARTIN BROWN: "That requires a specialistto either file down the boneor reattach the fingertip.More often, filing down the boneis what is done because reattachinga fingertip is often not successful."How a wound bleeds can bea sign of how serious it is.Minor cuts usually producewhat is known as venous bleeding.This means the blood flowssteadily from the injury.The bleeding will often stopwhen pressure is put on the wound.Dr. Brown says in most casesholding direct pressurewith clean gauze or a clothfor four to five minutesshould stop the bleeding.With a cut finger, holding the handabove the heartcan reduce the loss of blood.But if a cut appears to bepumping blood out with some force,this may be a sign of arterial bleeding.This kind of injury should be treatedby a medical professionalas soon as possible.Even a cut that does notrequire medical attentionmust be kept clean to prevent infection.Small cuts should be cleaned gentlywith clean water.Use a washcloth to clean the areaif the wound is dirty.Dr. Brown says cuts should be coveredwith a clean, dry bandage.Bacteria and other microorganismscan enter the bodythrough a cut in the skin.One kind of infectionthat can result is tetanus.The first signs of this diseaseinclude difficulty opening the mouth-- often called lockjaw-- and difficulty swallowing.Tetanus can be deadly.But children and adultscan be protected against tetanuswith vaccinations.Adults should be vaccinatedagainst tetanus every ten years.And that's the VOA Special EnglishHealth Report,written by Brianna Blake.Next week, learn more abouttreating serious cuts.