Don't forget to pack some first-aid Super-Glue

RokJok

RokJok

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This morning I opened up the end of my index finger good with my SAK while trying to pry open the back of a watch. "The edge ALWAYS points away from you" was the rule I disregarded and I paid for my negligence. Applying pressure while holding the wound over my head got the bleeding to stop. I then applied a shot of super-glu gel to the cut, wiped off the excess glue & insured that it had skinned over, and bandaged up the glued cut.

Given that super-glu works great as a replacement for stitches, costs little, and comes in tiny tubes that take up little space, IMHO it's good to get a few tubes of it and stash them in your kits. For mini-kits I recommend trimming off the excess length of the caps where the needle or point for poking a hole in the packaging seal usually is.
 
Pipey,

Believe it or not, he isn't. My two year old recently had his nose split open by my four year old. (Swinging him around by his arms and decided to let him go. Right into the corner of the couch.) They used "Dermabond" to close his wound because it caused less scarring. It is basicly, Superglue. I have also heard from many survival sites, articles, seminars...etc., to keep this in your pack. It makes for good insurance.

Jim McCullough
 
Guys ... just wanna get this right ..... will the chemicals in the superglue react (unfavorably) with your body fluids (blood, plasma etc.) causing negative reactions ????

Is it any type of superglue or a particular brand that's safe to be used??

Thanks.

oink.....oink....Bob
 
I've heard that superglue was originally developed around the late 1960s as a trauma glue, but proved to be carcinogenic (cancer causing) and was therefore discontinued for this use.
Why take the risks buy some "steri strips" made by 3M they pack very flat (nearly paper thin) they are cheap and are the right tool for the job.
Regards
Pinpoint
 
My concern is the risk of infection from the injury prior to someone dumping glue all over the wound site. If you have some serious patogens introduced to the wound and then you cover it all up with glue, you have created a nice infection....but what do I know, I've only been in Emergency Medicine for 13years.................
 
Pipey, I can only reiterate what was said above. Trauma bays are using a form of Super Glue on open wounds and not using stitches. I have personal experience with this after an auto accident in which I cracked open the area just above my hair line (should have waited a couple more years then it wouldn't have needed shaving;) ). The doctor in the emergency room brought out this purple tube of stuff. "What's that?", I asked. "Its Super Glue", he gleefully replied. "No sh...kidding?", I asked. "Sure, and this won't hurt a bit", he stated. Well that was a LIE!!!! The stuff stung like 50 bee stings. "Oh well," he snickered, "Maybe it hurts just a bit..."

The stuff is great for areas where you need to wash but can't get stitches wet. After a few days the stuff just rubs off during the normal wash cycle.

Now, can you use normal everyday Super Glue for this procedure? I don't know, but in an emergency I don't see why not. Cyanoacrylate is a carcinagen(sp?) but that is usually due to prolonged exposure to the fumes (or so I was told). I suggest contacting an emergency room physician who uses the stuff and find out for sure. Perhaps the medical version has an antibiotic ointment in it as well.
 
the medical version (marketed under the name Dermabond) is a slightly different form of cyanoacrylate - it works fairly well for clean, relatively small, cuts. It is only for approximating the skin - the wound is held closed, and then thin layers of the Dermabond are applied over the wound edges while they are in contact. You still need to keep it clean & dry. It is not supposed to be introduced into the wound. Cuts in the scalp/hairline are better off treated w/ sutures or staples, less the oil from the hair weaken the bond. If you get a nice big cut that is deep, you will need sutures anyway to close the deeper layers. Plain old super glue breaks down into toxic byproducts - the main reason Dermabond was created.
 
Try NuSkin (or Second Skin); it's great for covering up small scratches and cuts, as well as being really good for blisters. It incorporates antibacterial chemicals as well, so it helps prevent infection of small scratches (though if you have a gaping wound packed full of rotting meat, it probably won't help). I've had minor cuts heal in literally a day or two when I put this stuff on.
 
Thanks for all the info on the differences between the Dermabond and 99-cent super-glu. I just used the regular cheapo stuff to keep the skin bound together. It did sting initially when the glue was applied. I will know in a few days when I unwrap the finger how it worked. After the glue skinned over I bandaged the area up to keep it clean and a bit padded.

PipeyCain, you've got a valid concern about sealing pathogens into the wound with the glue. I'm feeling no abnormal tenderness in that area, so I'm guessing I didn't introduced infecting agents into the wound. FWIW, the wound bled like the proverbial stuck pig at first, which probably flushed out the wound sufficiently.

IMHO using regular super-glu to do this type of skin closure a few times during a lifetime shouldn't constitute a heavy cancer risk to the individual. I don't plan on needing this type of treatment very often if I can help it. ;)

I'll have to check out those 3M steri-strips next time I'm in the drugstore.
 
Rokjok - send me your snail mail address & ill drop a pack of 1/2" steri-strips in the mail to you ( I tend to accumulate them all over the place as I use them regularly at work).
 
The people at work freaked the first time I did that.:eek: Working at a packing plant I managed to get cut about once a year good enough to get stitches. But the policy was that if you need medical attention you loose your safety bonus. So one tube of glue saved me about $600. Though for anything deep (puncture) or longer than say 2 inches I wouldn't recommend it.
 
Well Lads I'm all for Extreme Medicine! I have seen several field expedient medical innovations occur in very bad places in this world and if the super glue work...use it ...I would suggest a thorugh cleaning of the wound first though and I still say steri-strips are very good as well.I have enjoyed everyone's thoughts on this subject...Now are you ready to learn how to do brain surgery with a tin can lid?!! Cheers!
 
I carry around a much bulkier item...

it's a spray-on dresssing called "OpSite" from Smith and Nephew... but it stings like hell...

I've never used it for any major cuts... just the usual scrape and gouges and slices...

but it IS "medical" and I kinda like the way it forms a "plastic" skin... hehehe if I'm bored I can peel it off and spray again.

I learned about it from an aunt who had undergon heart bypass surgery... the doctors had used that stuff over her stitches to keep it waterproof.
 
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