How To Stitch A Wound: Basic Survival Tip for Every Prepper

Ever wonder how to stitch a wound?

When you are out in the wilderness anything could happen at any given moment. You could be out camping with your friends and family but someone gets into an accident. What do you do then? This is why learning how to be prepared and knowing how to stitch a wound is one of the most important life hacks you could learn even if you are not a doctor.

When we think about things like tissue forceps, sterilized suture threads, a sterilized needle, and a suture kit, we automatically think of a hospital. But it’s interesting, because you do not need to be a doctor to learn how to stitch a wound properly.

All you need are the right tools to effectively suture an open wound to reduce scarring or further damage to other tissues on the side of the wound. Furthermore, learning how to stitch a wound is just so that you are able to reduce as much blood as you can from the wound before professional help arrives.

So, how do you become prepared for situations like this and how do you do a medical suture? In this article, we will be teaching you some suturing techniques and how to become prepared in the event of an emergency.

What is Suturing?

Before anything else, let’s first break down the meaning of the word “suturing”. What exactly does it mean? Well, suturing is just a fancy term for stitching a wound together. Suturing is when you use a needle holder, needle clamp locks, and a sterilized needle to bind human flesh together.

In the medical world, you only apply sutures when the person injured has a deep wound and the damaged wound is gaping. So, for example you failed to apply direct pressure and there’s blood loss – the wound should have medical staples and a sutured wound.

If you try to close a wound that is split open with just a bandage, it will only bring all the layers of the top tissue together. This leaves the tissue beneath separated. That small gap on the side of the wound will become breeding grounds for infections and foreign objects to enter the wound.

Suturing ensures that you bring all of the tissue layers together when you start stitching so that the wound starts healing properly.

How to Stitch a Wound: Why Should you Learn How to Suture a Wound?

Have you ever wondered how doctors stitch up a wound? It’s actually not as difficult as you might think, and there are plenty of reasons why you might want to learn how to suture a wound. For one thing, it can be a useful skill in emergency situations.

If you’re ever in a situation where someone has a deep cut, being able to suture the wound can help to prevent further tissue damage and potentially even save their life. And even if you’re not faced with a life-or-death situation, knowing how to suture can still be useful; it can help you avoid costly trips to the ER or even your family physician.

So what do you need to get started? First, you’ll need some tissue forceps, a needle driver, needle hole, sterilized bandage, and a needle holder. You can purchase sterilized suture threads from most pharmacies, and you’ll also need a needle driver. With these supplies in hand, you’re ready to start learning how to suture a wound.

Furthermore, in disaster scenarios, you may not have that many options other than to stitch the wound before help arrives. Bleeding too much is the greatest danger to an open wound, so it’s important to stop the blood from flowing too much.

How to Stitch a Wound: Only Suture a Wound in the Event of a Real Emergency Situation

Learning how to do an interrupted suture/interrupted sutures takes a considerably generous amount of time to master. If you do it the wrong way, it could be life threatening or the wound wont heal properly.

The best you can do though is leave a mark on the person who is injured to try and save their lives. When doctor’s perform surgeon’s knot on patients, they make sure that the patient is rubbed down first sterilizing alcohol wipes and injected with a numbing agent first.

This prevents the person injured from feeling any pain. The numbing agent will then be injected with an ideally sterilized needle and inject on the side of the wound. Of course, when you’re caught in an emergency, there’s no way you will have that readily available so it could hurt more as compared to having it done by an actual doctor.

For those reasons alone, suturing should only be done when there is an absolute need for it. Ideally when you cant get hold of a doctor within 12 to 24 hours. if you do not have any excess thread laying around, you can use butterfly bandages/butterfly bandage and some gauze to close up the wound as much as you can. Immediately call 911 after that.

What Should you Include in your Suturing Kit?

Okay, so let’s talk about what should be included in your suturing kit. In the event of an extreme pinch, using an old needle and some excess thread will do the trick. But you first need to sterilize everything before you start stitching the wound with a needle.

Although that may seem like the best option, it could still lead to infections so instead – use these items and include it in your suture kit:

Needle Driver

The needle driver is what you will use to hold the needle holder when you are putting it through the tissue of the person injured. The first needle hole is often hard to make without a needle driver and without a needle holder. So always make sure that you bring a needle holder with you.

Tissue Forceps

This what doctors use to move the needle driver clockwise around the wounded tissue while you apply sutures. Doctors use a typically curved needle with tissue forceps to make incisions through the wound easier.

Scissors

This is used to cut excess thread wrapped when doing a surgeon’s knot to come up with a secure knot.

Needle holder

A needle holder is used to hold the needle driver in place when trying to suture the side of the wound.

To start, you’ll want to thread the needle holder with a length of thread. Then, holding the side of the wound with one hand, use the needle holder to insert the needle through the skin.

Once the needle is in place, tie an overhand knot to secure it. You can then remove the needle holder and cut off the excess thread.

If you don’t have a needle holder, you can also use office staples or dental floss to close the wound. Just be sure to sterilize whatever you’re using before putting it into the wound.

Suture Pad

If you’ve ever had to stitch up a wound, you know that it’s important to get the side of the wound where the skin comes together as close as possible. This is where a suture pad comes in handy.

A suture pad is a small, lying flat piece of padding that goes on the side of the wound opposite the needle. It helps to keep the skin from bunching up and makes it easier to get a nice, tight stitch.

To use a pad, first thread your needle and tie an overhand knot in the end of the thread. Then, holding the suture pad in place with your other hand, insert the needle into the side of the wound and come out through the top.

Pull the thread tight and tie another overhand knot. Continue stitching around the wound, making sure to pull the thread tight each time and going all the way around before knotting off at the end.

Once you’re finished stitching the thread left side/left hand, remove the suture pad and trim away any excess thread. That’s it! With a little practice, you’ll be a pro at using suture pads in no time.

Thread

When you are trying to suture a wound on someone, you’re basically putting in and leaving foreign objects inside the wound. Make sure all the thread is sanitized and sterilized before you apply all the knots. Also make sure to use latex gloves to ensure that there’s no possibility for infections.

How to Practice Suturing a Wound Site

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Suturing a wound is an important skill for any medical professional to have. But it’s not just for doctors and nurses! If you’re ever in a situation where someone has a serious cut, you may need to know how to suture the wound to help them heal. Here’s a quick guide on how to practice suturing a wound site.

First

You’ll need some supplies. You’ll need needle holders, surgical needles, thread, and chicken breast (or another piece of skin that simulates human skin). Start by tie a simple overhand knot in the thread. Then, holding the needle with the needle holder, insert the needle through the top layer of skin and out the other side.

Second

Next, make two loops with the thread counter clockwise on around the needle and pull tight, making sure to wrap the thread clockwise around the needle. Keep wrapping the thread clockwise around the needle until you’ve gone all the way around 3-4 times. Now, holding the needle still with the needle holder, use your free hand to twist the thread clockwise 3-4 times.

Third

Finally, pull the needle and thread through to create a simple stitch. Repeat this process until you’ve closed up the wound site.

Make Sure to Purchase Sterilized Suture Threads

Before trying to practice, make sure as well that you purchase sterilized items – especially threads. These are all very important when trying to suture a wounded patient, as it will contribute to faster healing.

How to Stitch a Wound with a Suture Kit

Most of us have had the misfortune of sustaining a cut or scrape at some point in our lives. Luckily, minor wounds like these can be easily treated at home with a simple suture kit. Here’s how it’s done:

First

First, wash your hands and sterilize the wound with some antiseptic solution. Then, take the needle and thread it through the eye of the curved needle, making sure to leave a tail of about six inches. Next, tie a knot in the thread about an inch from the eye of the needle.

Second

Now it’s time to start stitching. Begin by pushing the needle through the skin on the left side of the wound, making sure to come out on the same side. Then, curl your hand clockwise around the needle and pull it through until the knot stops it.

Now poke the needle back through the skin on the right side of the wound and come out on the left side. Again, curl your hand around the needle and pull it through until you reach the desired tension. Continue this pattern until you’ve closed up the entire wound.

Third

Finally, tie off the thread on the underside of the wound and snip off any excess. Congratulations – you’ve just successfully stitched up

How to Stitch a Wound: Different Suturing Techniques

There are nearly as many ways to close a wound as there are types of wounds. Some require special consideration, such as burns, whereas others are fairly straightforward. The three main ways to suture a wound are continuous, interrupted, and Mattress.

Continuous sutures are just that: one unbroken stitch that goes the entire length of the wound. It’s often used for lacerations, or deep cuts, because it provides the most support to keep the edges of the wound together while it heals. Continuous sutures also tend to be less painful than interrupted or Mattress sutures because the needle only punctures the skin once. Interrupted sutures are made up of small, separate stitches that are each spaced a few millimeters apart.

How to Stitch a Wound: How to Staple a Wound During Emergency Situations

Imagine this scenario:

you’re out for a walk in the park when you see a stranger fall to the ground, clutching their arm. There’s blood everywhere and they look panicked. What do you do? If you have a first-aid kit with you, great! If not, don’t worry – you can still help.

Here’s what to do:

Find something clean and sturdy a piece of cloth, a bandage, or even your own shirt – and rip it into strips.

Next, take the strips and tie them tightly around the wound. Using a knot or two to secure them in place.

Once the bleeding has slowed down, use a stapler to attach the strips of cloth to the person’s skin. Being careful not to staple any part of the wound itself. This will help to keep everything in place until they can get medical attention.

So there you have it – now you know how to staple a wound in an emergency. Just remember to wash your hands afterwards. Maybe consider carrying a first-aid kit with you from now on so the healing process is faster!