It can be difficult for a person to determine if a wound, scratch or cut needs to be sutured. Each one has tissue damage as a result of contact with sharp objects, bruises, and animal bites. Many injuries of this kind heal without medical intervention. However, stitches are required to treat other wounds.
Signs indicating the need for a procedure
Tissue injuries in adults and small patients are divided into several types depending on origin and depth. How to determine if a wound needs to be sutured? The fact that the victim needs help in a medical facility is evidenced by the following symptoms:
- Large depth of damage. Particularly dangerous are cuts, inside which you can see the lower layers of the epidermis, yellow adipose tissue or bone.
- The wound has lacerated edges; they do not close when lightly pressed.
- Damage is in the area of the joints. In this case, tendons, ligaments can be injured.
- A wound is the result of a bite from a person or beast. In this situation, the patient may need vaccination against tetanus, rabies, antibiotics or suturing.
- Damage caused by contact with a foreign body, a dirty or rusty object, a bullet.
- It is accompanied by intense bleeding.
- The victim has an injury to the genitals or tissues located next to the genitals.
- It is necessary for the patient to sew a wound on the head, face and other parts of the body, the appearance of which is very important.
Preliminary measures
Before contacting a medical facility, bleeding should be stopped. The injured area is raised above the level of the location of the heart muscle. A small piece of cloth or a towel should be slightly moistened with warm water and placed on the wound.
Five minutes later, the lotion is removed. If bleeding has not stopped, you must contact a trauma center.
Why stitch?
This procedure is carried out to achieve such goals:
- The closure of the edges of an extensive wound. Without threading, fabrics can come apart. Suture stitches help speed up the healing process.
- Prevention of the inflammatory process. Injuries to the skin are dangerous because bacteria easily penetrate them. It is necessary to sew up the wound if it is deep. Stitching the cut with stitches will prevent infection.
- To prevent scar formation or to reduce their volume. To this end, wounds in the face area are sutured.
- The part of the body that is constantly moving is damaged. Stretching the skin helps open the cut. Therefore, it is necessary that the wound is sutured on the finger, leg, arm (especially in the joint area).
Precautionary measures
If the victim needs to call an ambulance, those around him who help him should be aware of the following aspects:
- Do not touch objects that remain in the wound. If a stick or a fragment of metal is pressed on the artery, their removal provokes profuse bleeding.
- Bites of animals, humans, as well as cuts in which dirt got, need special treatment. In case of contact with the ground or damage resulting from contact with a rusted object, the patient needs a tetanus vaccine if he has not been vaccinated for ten years. In some cases, the doctor prescribes antibiotics.
- A wound can only be sutured when it is clean. In the presence of running water and an antibacterial soap, a cut should be processed before going to the doctor.
- If the victim is a child, he must not be given food or drink before the procedure. Sometimes, calming medications are used to suture a small patient. They help reduce discomfort. If the child has recently consumed food or liquid, the procedure should be postponed.
What to do in an emergency?
So, in what cases is the wound sutured? Firstly, the procedure is necessary to connect two tissue fragments and their faster healing. Secondly, with severe damage, the stitches do not allow cuts to open. Thirdly, deep injuries contribute to the penetration of infection. The procedure will help prevent infection. And finally, without suturing, an ugly scar forms on the skin surface. The stitches connecting the edges of the wound help to reduce the size of the scar.
The procedure should be carried out by doctors. However, there are extreme situations in which it is not possible to consult a doctor. How to sew a wound at home or camping? To do this, you must have at hand the following items:
- Tweezers or tweezers.
- Clean cloth.
- Disinfecting solution or strong alcoholic drink (from 40 degrees and above).
- Knife or scissors.
- A thread.
- The igloo.
How to prepare for the procedure?
First you need to attach a clean towel, bandage or tourniquet to the cut area. If a limb is injured, it is raised above the level of the myocardium. A wound can be sutured only after the blood stops flowing from it.
Before the procedure, the cut is rinsed with warm water. It should not have foreign bodies, earth, dirt. All foreign objects are removed with tweezers. Process cut with hydrogen peroxide or other disinfectant.
As an antiseptic, you can use strong alcohol.
Then wash your hands. Tools are washed with soap. Put in an antiseptic or strong alcohol. They are laid on the surface of a clean cloth and dried.
Preparation of materials
A hole is cut in the center of the towel. Lay the tissue on the damaged area of the body. The cut should be fully visible. For sewing, you can use a sewing needle or a fishing hook. This device should be heated and given the shape of the letter “C” with tweezers. For suturing, it is recommended to use an elastic and durable thread, such as dental or fishing. Its size should exceed the length of the cut ten times. Materials used for the procedure must be thoroughly disinfected.
Tissue preparation
How to sew wounds? First you need to make an excision. All dead, dirty and bloodied fabrics up to 2 cm long must be removed. Otherwise, infection will occur. How to distinguish them from healthy ones? If there are no muscle contractions with tweezers, the tissue is considered dead. During excision, care must be taken to ensure that the edges of the cut fit well together when pulled together. In traveling conditions it is impossible to properly disinfect a wound. Therefore, it can not be sewn tightly. A hole of about 2 mm in length should be left to isolate pus and dead cells. This will help prevent the development of sepsis. The skin around the cut before stitching should be lubricated with hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green or iodine.
Rules of procedure
In order to sew up a wound, not only a thread is required, but also a needle. It is supported with pliers or tweezers. Stitches begin to overlap from the center of the cut. The skin is pierced by six millimeters. When stitches are carried out, with the help of tweezers the edges of the damage are fastened together. After each stitch, knots should be applied to healthy sections of the epidermis.
At the end of the procedure, one end of the thread is cut off, the other half of a centimeter of material is left. This is necessary in order to remove stitches.
Stitch removal
This procedure is important to carry out correctly. It is better if it is carried out by a specialist. However, you can remove stitches from the surface of the wound yourself, at home.
Disinfect materials (scissors, tweezers). Then treat the seams with a disinfectant. The stitches are cut along the edge, gradually (one at a time). Previously, the threads are slightly pulled with tweezers. It is necessary to remove from the other edge, with sharp movements.