Editor’s Note: In this interview from SAWC Spring 2023, Greg Patterson, MD, FACS, DABS, CWS and Mary Ann Obst, RN BSN, CWON, CCRI describe the difference between a laceration and an abrasion.

Transcript

My name is Mary Ann Obst and I am the complex abdomen specialist at Regions Hospital, which is a level one trauma center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

I'm Greg Patterson. I'm a surgeon. I do a vascular and general surgery and work for Vita Surgery which is a group in Southwest Georgia. I'm the medical director of a level III trauma center.

Could you briefly explain the difference between an abrasion and a laceration?

An abrasion is going to be more of a superficial injury typically caused by abrading the surface. It can be caused by both friction and kind of a tearing sensation. Also depends on the environment you’re in, so anything from road rash from gravel to clothing can cause abrasions if it's tightly, you know, abraded against the skin or friction against the skin.

Laceration is going to be an open wound depending on how deep it is, usually caused by some type of sharp object or semi-sharp object.