Abstract

Laceration injuries comprise over 8% of all emergency department visits annually.1 Given that laceration injuries represent a significant volume of ED visits, emergency medicine physicians should be comfortable treating these injuries. We present the case of a 34-year-old male who presented to the emergency department as a trauma activation who suffered multiple injuries including complex full thickness lacerations to his face. While there are scenarios in which consulting a specialist is necessary, knowledge and application of basic wound closure principles allows for many complex lacerations to be repaired by emergency medicine physicians. We provide a helpful systematic approach to evaluating and treating complex facial lacerations in the emergency department.