How to suture a wound in an emergency

Monday, December 5, 2016

How to suture a wound in an emergency

This is not to replace competent medical care but to direct a medical emergency. The best way for you to learn basic first aid is to take a course. Another way is to learn by teaching yourself.
“Stitching” a wound means “suturing” a wound. A “suture” can mean either closing the wound or it can also refer to the material used to stitch up the wound.
The following is an excerpt from Howtosurvivstuff where you can learn in more detail, how to suture a wound.

How to suture a wound in an emergency

Sterilize

Sterilize any equipment you will be using for the procedure. A good suture kit will come with sterilization material like rubbing alcohol and/or hydrogen peroxide. Wash the equipment first with soap and water. Then soak it in either rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide for 20 seconds, then let it dry on a clean paper towel or cloth. If you do not have sterilization material, you can sterilize equipment by burning on an open flame. However, if you use this method, hold the equipment to the side of the flame so that soot doesn’t accumulate on the equipment. Make sure you wear surgical gloves if you have them. If not, thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water and then rub in rubbing alcohol.

Pain Relief

If it is possible, administer pain relief to the wounded individual. If you have a local anesthetic or pain relief medicine you should use it, depending on the person’s pain tolerance and the location and severity of the wound.

Clean and Irrigate the Wound

Before you close the wound, you will need to clean out any foreign matter, wash with disinfectant material, and prepare the edges of the wound to make a complete and proper suture. Use a syringe to irrigate the wound with saline or other antibacterial fluid. If there is stubborn debris that does not come out with the irrigation method, use the scalpel to remove debris.

How to stitch a wound…

Stitching Methods

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Prepare Edges of Wound

Prepare the edges of the wound for a clean and complete suture. If you try and stitch together jagged flesh, not only will it be difficult, there is a much larger chance the wound could get infected. This is because stitching together jagged flesh does not completely seal the wound. Once you have removed debris and properly cleaned and irrigated the wound, use the scalpel and/or surgical scissors to cautiously cut away loose or jagged flesh. Do this as conservatively as possible and only as much as is necessary to prepare the edges of the wound for a a clean suture.

Stitch wound

For most flesh wounds, you will use non-absorbable suture material. “Non-absorbable” suture just means that it is made of materials that don’t absorb into your body. There is “absorbable” suture material that is used for stitching up arteries and organs. This is helpful because in those cases, you don’t want to have to open the wounded person up again to later remove the suture material. For flesh wounds, it is easy to later remove the suture material. That is why you use non-absorbable suture material for flesh wounds.