Sometimes it is necessary to sew up a wound, and in some cases this is the only way to prevent extensive bleeding and the penetration of pathogenic microflora. There are a number of recommendations and tips that can save a person's life in critical situations.
Wound classification
What does it mean to sew up a wound? This is a mechanical manipulation, which consists in connecting the edges of the broken integument of the skin, which helps to prevent the penetration of microbes inside and ensures a speedy recovery. Sutures are applied to restore the natural anatomical position of the epithelial tissues.
Which wound should be sutured? Not every injury requires suturing, but in especially dangerous situations, such manipulations can save a person's life. Need to know about wounds to be sutured:
- damage to both epithelium and subcutaneous tissue;
- often required to sew up a laceration that requires matching its edges;
- cuts in areas of skin tension: limbs,joints (elbows, knees, etc.).
What is not sewn up?
The importance of manipulation can only be assessed by a doctor. Cannot be stitched:
- abrasions, scratches;
- wounds in which the edges diverge up to one centimeter;
- penetrating wounds;
- stab wounds in the absence of damage to vital organs.
Suturing is contraindicated when a person is in shock and there is an obvious purulent-inflammatory process in the wound.
Not everyone knows how to sew up wounds.
Types of seams by overlay time
There are several types of stitches, each depending on the situation:
- Deaf primary seam. It is applied after preliminary sterilization and wound treatment to prevent the penetration of pathogenic microflora into the bloodstream.
- Delayed primary seam. It is applied after the third day of injury, if the inflammatory process and swelling in the wound have decreased significantly. Drainage is introduced, through which purulent contents will be brought out without stagnation in the wound.
- Secondary early seam. It is used in determining the first symptoms of restoration of the deep layers of the dermis. Drainage is installed between the sutures, new pink cells do not need to be excised.
- Late secondary seam. It is applied if there is a very deep wound, the restoration of which is made from the inside. Manipulation is performed if there are no pathological processes in the wound.
How can I sew up a wound?
Necessary instruments and preparations
In the surgical ward, the procedure is performed using suture material, sterile needles, tweezers, sterile bandages and with the proper qualification of a doctor. If primary sutures are needed to save a human life, the following materials are prepared:
- any clean cloth or sterile bandage;
- needle, fishing line, silk or any other thread;
- tweezers and scissors;
- alcohol, vodka, brilliant green, hydrogen peroxide.
If there is bleeding, it is stopped with hydrogen peroxide. In case of severe bleeding, a tourniquet may be needed - a temporary procedure, it must be removed after the blood flow has stopped. The wound should be washed with water and all dirt removed from it. If there are fragments, they are carefully removed with tweezers. In the field, all the necessary tools are treated with substances containing alcohol, or calcined at the stake.
Wash hands with soap, then treat with vodka or alcohol. If there are painkillers in the form of solutions, then they are allowed to cut off the wound area, which reduces the pain sensations ("Ultracaine", "Novocaine", "Lidocaine").
If the bleeding is heavy, it means that the vein or artery is damaged. Here, without thinking - urgently apply a tourniquet! But if the blood does not spurt, then there is no fear of losing a lot of blood.
How exactly to sew up the wound will be described below.
Features of the procedure
There are several stages of suturing the wound, due to the observance of their sequence, it is possible to suture correctly:
- Preparation of suture material and needle. A needle is taken and threaded through a small piece of thread. Then the thread with the needle is moistened in vodka or alcohol solution. For convenience, the needle can be bent in the form of an arc with forceps.
- The first seam is applied. The dissected tissues are compressed on both sides, then the needle is passed through the center with the capture of two edges. Each suture is applied separately. The center is sewn first, then the edges.
- Then the rest of the stitches are applied, the knots are attached. The sutures should be placed on the intact edges of the skin, and the nodules are fixed on the side of the wound. Between stitches should be a distance of half to one centimeter.
- The resulting seam is processed. It is well lubricated with an antiseptic preparation. The advantage is given to "Chlorhexidine" and Zelenka.
- A sterile bandage is applied, made of gauze, bandage or any clean tissue that will protrude two to three centimeters beyond the edges of the wound. Fix tightly to the seam, bandage to prevent slipping.
- The damaged area is immobilized. A splint should be bandaged to the limbs.
If the condition rapidly worsens or pus, ichorus or blood is released from the stitches, an immediate examination by qualified doctors is required.
How to treat a sutured wound?
Post-Suture Care Rules: Post-Procedure Treatment
To reduce the riskinfection of the seam, you need to monitor the condition of the wound several times a day. Stitched wounds are bandaged two to three times a day. Carefully remove the sterile dressing. If its discharge is difficult, the bandage is pre-soaked with hydrogen peroxide.
The seam is treated with antiseptics, preference is given to "Chlorhexidine" and brilliant green. After two or three days, when a dry discharge of the bandage is noted during dressing, the latter is allowed not to be applied. If the wound is maintained in an open way, then the suture is processed without additional use of a bandage.
It is advisable to refuse from hygiene procedures for the time of tissue fusion, since water can cause suppuration and further complication of the course of the period after the operation. After five to seven days, it is allowed to take a shower, then the seam must be blotted with a terry towel and treated with an additional antiseptic.
Features of suture removal
Stitches are removed on the 10-14th day, when the damaged skin layers have grown together. The suture material is cut with scissors with long, thin ends, resulting in two ends. Then they take tweezers, clamp one end and pull the thread. There are punctures on the body that heal soon.
The procedure is quite painful, and therefore it is done under local anesthesia. When the sutures are removed, the wound is treated twice a day with any disinfection solutions. It is undesirable to take baths until complete healing.
Life is quite unpredictable, and in case of injury, there is not alwaysthe ability to immediately seek qualified help, so it would be useful to know how to sew up a wound at home.
Sewing at home
You cannot achieve complete sterility at home. However, with a strong tissue divergence, this procedure becomes a necessary measure that reduces the development of sepsis.
Prepare alcohol, boiling water, gloves, sterile bandages and thread with a needle. It does not matter what threads the wound will be sutured with, as the stitches will be redone after arriving at the medical facility.
Hands are washed with soap and treated with alcohol. The thread is threaded into the needle, dipped in alcohol or a disinfectant solution for several minutes. The diverging edges are brought closer to each other, the first suture is applied in the middle of the wound. Each seam must be knotted, the number is determined by the length of the wound.
Any manipulations are carried out carefully, objects should have minimal contact with the wound. Then a bandage or sterile bandage is applied and the patient is taken to a medical facility.
Of course, you can sew up the wound at home. But if possible, it is better to do it in the operating room. In case of violations in the process of suturing, an extensive process of inflammation can develop.
