It can be difficult for a person to determine whether a wound, scrape or cut needs stitching. Everyone has tissue damage as a result of contact with sharp objects, bruises, animal bites. Many injuries of this kind heal without medical intervention. However, other wounds require stitches to heal.
Signs indicating the need for a procedure
Tissue damage in adults and young patients are divided into several types depending on the origin and depth. How can you tell if a wound needs stitching? The following signs indicate that the victim needs help in a medical institution:
- Great damage depth. Especially dangerous are cuts, inside which you can see the lower layers of the epidermis, yellow adipose tissue or bone.
- The wound has torn edges, they do not close with light pressure.
- The damage is in the area of the joints. In this case, tendons and ligaments may be injured.
- A wound is the result of a human or animal bite. In this situation, the patienttetanus, rabies vaccinations, antibiotics, or stitches may be required.
- Damage caused by contact with a foreign body, dirty or rusty object, bullet.
- It is accompanied by intense bleeding.
- The victim suffered an injury to the genitals or tissues located near the genitals.
- It is necessary for the patient to have a wound sewn up on the head, face and other parts of the body, the appearance of which is very important.
Preliminary measures
Before you go to a medical facility, you should stop the bleeding. The injured area is raised above the level of the location of the heart muscle. A small piece of cloth or towel should be slightly moistened with warm water and placed on the wound.
After five minutes, the lotion is removed. If the bleeding has not stopped, you must contact the trauma center.
Why do they get stitches?
This procedure is carried out to achieve the following goals:
- Closing the edges of a vast wound. Without the imposition of threads, the fabrics can disperse. Suture stitches help speed up the healing process.
- Prevention of the inflammatory process. Injuries to the skin are dangerous because bacteria easily penetrate into them. It is necessary to sew up the wound if it is deep. Stitching the cut with stitches will help prevent infection.
- For the prevention of scarring or to reduce their volume. For this purpose, 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 on the finger, leg, arm (especially in the joint area) be sewn up.
Precautions
If the victim needs to call an ambulance, those around him who are helping him should remember the following aspects:
- Do not touch foreign objects left in the wound. If a stick or piece of metal presses against an artery, removing it causes a profuse flow of blood.
- Animal bites, human bites, and cuts that have been contaminated with dirt need special treatment. In case of ground contact or injury resulting from contact with a rusty object, the patient requires a vaccine that protects against tetanus if he has not had this vaccination for ten years. In some cases, the doctor prescribes antibiotics.
- Sew up a wound only when it is clean. If you have running water and antibacterial soap, clean the cut before going to the doctor.
- If the victim is a child, they should not be allowed to eat or drink before the procedure. Sometimes sedatives are used to suture a small patient. They help reduce discomfort. If the child has had food or liquids recently, the procedure should be postponed.
What to do in an emergency?
So, in what cases is the wound sewn up? Firstly, the procedure is necessary to connect two tissue fragments and theirfaster healing. Secondly, in case of severe damage, the stitches do not allow the 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 is formed on the surface of the skin. Stitches connecting the edges of the wound help reduce the size of the scar.
The procedure must be carried out by physicians. However, there are extreme situations in which it is not possible to consult a doctor. How to sew up a wound at home or camping? To do this, you must have the following items on hand:
- Tweezers or tweezers.
- A clean cloth.
- Disinfectant solution or strong alcoholic drink (from 40 degrees and above).
- Knife or scissors.
- Thread.
- Igloo.
How to prepare for the procedure?
First, apply a clean towel, bandage or tourniquet to the cut area. If the limb is injured, it is raised above the level of the myocardium. The wound can be sewn up only after the blood stops flowing from it.
Before the procedure, the cut is rinsed with warm water. It should not contain foreign bodies, earth, dirt. All foreign objects are removed with tweezers. Treat the cut with hydrogen peroxide or another disinfectant.
Strong alcohol can be used as an antiseptic.
Then you need to wash your hands. Tools are washed with soap. Placed inantiseptic or strong alcohol. Lay on the surface of a clean cloth and dry.
Preparation of materials
A hole is cut in the central part of the towel. Lay the tissue on the damaged area of the body. The cut must be completely visible. For stitching, you can use a sewing needle or a fishhook. This device should be heated and shaped into 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 thread. Its size should exceed the length of the cut ten times. The materials used for the procedure must be thoroughly disinfected.
Preparing fabrics
How to stitch up wounds? First you need to make an excision. All dead, dirty and bloody tissues up to 2 cm long must be removed. Otherwise, infection will occur. How to distinguish them from he althy ones? If there is no muscle contraction when pinching 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 tightened. In field conditions, it is impossible to disinfect a wound normally. Therefore, it cannot be sewn tightly. A hole about 2 mm long should be left to expel pus and dead cells. This will help prevent the development of sepsis. The skin around the cut should be smeared with hydrogen peroxide, brilliant green or iodine before stitching.
Rules of procedure
In order to sew up a wound, you need not only a thread, but also a needle. It is supported with pliers or tweezers. The stitches beginapply from the central part of the cut. The skin is pierced six millimeters. When the 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 he althy areas of the epidermis.
At the end of the procedure, one end of the thread is cut off, about half a centimeter of material is left on the other. This is necessary in order to remove the stitches.
Removal of stitches
This procedure is important to carry out correctly. It is better if it is carried out by a specialist. However, you can remove the stitches from the surface of the wound yourself, at home.
It is necessary to disinfect materials (scissors, tweezers). Then treat the seams with a disinfectant. The stitches are cut along the edge, gradually (one at a time). First, the threads are slightly pulled with tweezers. It is necessary to remove from the other edge, with sharp movements.
