Though it’s not often, injuries do happen and chances are you know what to do for them. If you’re stumped on where or how to suture a wound there is plenty of information out there available at your fingertips.
There are a few ways to suture a wound, but the most common is to use a needle and thread. To do this, you will need some type of needle and thread. You can also use other materials like dental floss.
You’re staying in a cabin in the lonely forest, far from civilisation, with some friends and relatives. It’s peaceful. Pristine. It’s a wonderful life.
While your friend is splitting wood one morning, his maul catches on the log and rips a big gash on his leg. Although the incision is huge and deep, the maul did not strike an artery or significant vein, thus he will not bleed out. You bring him back to the cabin to examine it more closely and clean everything up.
Even after the bleeding has stopped, your friend’s leg still has a huge, gaping hole. It must be closed to limit the risk of infection and to allow the incision to heal correctly. You attempt using a butterfly bandage, but it doesn’t hold the wound closed. Your friend clearly need stitches, but the closest doctor is a day’s drive away. Fortunately, you have a suturing kit in your first-aid kit and know how to patch him back together.
What Exactly Is Suturing?
Stitches are referred to as suturing. It’s when you use a sterile needle and thread to stitch a serious wound together so that the tissue may begin to mend correctly and the risk of infection is reduced.
When a wound is deep and gaping, sutures are utilized. If you can see fat in your wound, for example, you should receive sutures. If you only used a bandage to seal the incision, you’d only be able to pull the top half of the tissue together, leaving the tissue below apart. That little crack might become a breeding place for bacteria. Suturing ensures that all layers of tissue are brought together so that the injured wound may begin to heal.
Another instance when suturing may be required: A relative of a friend of mine was engaged in an accident that resulted in a finger being severed from his hand. They were in a rural location and couldn’t travel to a hospital straight away. As a result, the father (a veterinarian) utilized a suturing kit to stitch it back on. It wasn’t flawless, but it kept the severed finger tissue alive long enough for him to be taken to the emergency department and sutured correctly. That finger is still with my friend’s relative.
Suturing on your own should only be done in an emergency.
Suturing is a talent that requires a lot of practice to master. If you perform it badly, you might end up with a life-threatening infection or a wound that doesn’t heal properly; at best, you’ll leave the individual with a hideous scar. Doctors usually inject a numbing medication into the place they’ll be suturing so the patient doesn’t feel a needle going in and out of their skin. Suturing will almost certainly be painful since you won’t have that on you. Another reason why it should only be used in extreme cases.
Suturing should only be performed in emergency cases when you won’t be able to see a doctor within the next 12 to 24 hours. If you have a gaping hole, do all you can to stop the bleeding and patch it up as much as possible using butterfly bandages and gauze. Then dial 911 or go to an emergency facility as soon as possible.
If you find yourself in a position where you can’t get to a doctor, here’s how to treat yourself.
Suturing Materials
In a pinch, you could definitely stitch a wound using an ordinary needle and thread (preferably sanitized with boiling water or otherwise). But that would be difficult and would raise the risk of infection.
You’ll need a suturing kit to safely and successfully stitch a wound. Here’s everything you’ll need to get started:
- It’s a needle driver. When you’re inserting the needle through the tissue, you’ll utilize this to hold it.
- Tissue forceps are a kind of forceps that are used to remove tissue These will be used to move the tissue surrounding the incision while the suture is being applied.
- Scissors. To remove any superfluous thread.
- Needle and thread have been sterilized. When you place sutures in someone’s body, you’re placing foreign items in their body and leaving them there. You’ll want to double-check that they’ve been sterilized. Suture threads that have been disinfected may be found at most internet first aid and survival retailers. A medical suture needle is usually curved to make stitching a little simpler.
Before using on human flesh, make sure everything is sterilized. Sterilizing alcohol wipes are generally included in kits. For $32, Duluth Trading Company offers a suturing kit with sterilized sutures and wipes.
Suturing Techniques to Master
You don’t want to be suturing for the first time when you’re faced with a huge, gushing hole. You’ll want to put in some practice time. But how can you practice suturing a wound when there isn’t one to suture?
There are many options:
Belly of a pig I learnt how to stitch a pig belly flap. The pig belly contained all of the tissue seen on a person, including skin, fat, and a little amount of muscle, but pigskin is considerably thicker than human skin. You’ll bend your suture needle attempting to get it through the pig’s armor-like dermis if you’re not cautious.
Simply cut the pig belly with a knife or scalpel to make your practice wounds.
Skinned chicken. I’ve heard that suturing a chicken breast with the skin on is a good idea since the skin is more like human skin.
Banana. Bananas have a lovely meaty feel that lends themselves well to suturing.
Pad for suturing. You can get a suturing practice pad from Amazon if you don’t want to practice suturing on your meal. They’re constructed of latex and come with pre-cut wounds. One of the advantages of suture pads is that they may be used several times, unlike pig belly or chicken, which must be discarded after you’ve practiced on (and perhaps eaten). Suture pads are inexpensive; you can get one for $20 on Amazon. In the example below, I’m utilizing a suture pad.
What is the Best Way to Suture a Wound?
Suturing may be done in a variety of ways, each with differing degrees of difficulty. To prevent scarring, more sophisticated stitching methods are utilized.
We’ll show you how to use the most basic suturing method in this article: interrupted (or intermittent) sutures.
Because each stitch isn’t attached, it’s termed an interrupted suture. You start with one, knot it off, and then start again.
Sutures that are interrupted are easy to insert and fasten. They also make it more easier to make adjustments than a continuous suture. Simply snip one of the stitches, correct the incision, and sew it back together.
How to conduct interrupted sutures is as follows:
1. Prepare the wound by washing your hands. To limit the possibilities of infecting the wound, wash your hands like a doctor. Clean away any debris from the incision with water before suturing it. Remove as much blood as you can. Put on a pair of latex gloves.
2. Grasp the needle with your needle driver. Make sure the needle clamp is securely fastened. Remove all of the thread from the suture kit.
3. Using tissue forceps, expose the side of the incision where you’ll start suturing. This gives you a better idea of what you’re dealing with and how deep the damage is. As much as possible, align the wound’s edges.
4. Insert the needle at a 90-degree angle into the skin approximately a centimeter to the right of the incision. Don’t eat anything below the fat level. It’s directly above it.
5. When you’ve gone far enough, spin your hand clockwise so the needle emerges on the other side of the incision. The needle should emerge from the first needle hole straight across.
6. When the needle has exited the wound on the opposite side, release the needle driver, reconnect it at the needle’s tip (you don’t need to lock it), and pull until you have about 1-2 inches of thread on the right side. Let go of the needle.
7. Hold the thread on the left side of the needle with your left hand and wrap it twice around the needle holder’s tip.
8. Open the needle holder slightly and take the 1-2 inches of thread on the right side of the wound.
9. Pull the long portion of the thread with your left hand. The thread wrapped around the needle holder will come undone. You’ll have made a two-looped basic overhand knot. The “initial throw” is what it’s called.
10. Tighten everything up until the tissue is barely touching and the knot is flat.
11. Now it’s time for the “second toss.” Hold the long end of the thread in your left hand and wrap it once clockwise around the needle driver. Open the needle driver slightly and grip the thread’s short end. Pull the long section of the thread with your left hand. You’ll tie another overhand knot to complete your surgeon’s knot.
12. For a “third throw,” repeat step 11 one more time to ensure a solid knot. Wrap the thread counter-clockwise around the needle driver instead of clockwise. The knot will not slide as a result of this.
13. Trim the extra thread.
14. Repeat the technique a quarter-inch down the incision.
15. Double-check that all of the knots are on the same side. Mine are on the wound’s left side.
16. Apply a sterile bandage to your sutured incision. As soon as possible, get competent medical help.
Suturing techniques are used to close a wound. There are many different types of sutures, such as the “suturing techniques pdf” and the “suturing technique video”.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you suture your own wound?
A: Im sorry, but no.
How do you stitch a wound at home?
A: This is a difficult question to answer. There are many ways you can try and stitch your wound, but it will depend on the size of the area that needs stitched together. You should always consult with an expert first before attempting anything like this yourself, as they will be able to help you figure out what would work best for your situation
What are the 3 types of sutures?
A: Sutures are a type of stitch used to hold together two pieces of tissue or material. They can be either absorbable, which leave the body over time, like stitches in your skin; permanent and cannot come out without causing damage such as sutures that close a cut on the scalp; or disposable and must be removed by another method after they have healed.
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