I had a medic when I was in the Army (I got out last year) that told me he always carries a couple of tubes of super glue with him, in addition to the rest of his medical supplies, as super glue is a great alternative to sutures in a field environment. Has anyone had any experience closing a wound with super glue? I'm assuming that you just need to rinse the wound out well, maybe use an iodine pad or something, and then glue the skin on either side together...? Someone enlighten me!
Super Glue as First Aid
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I have used it with success on small cuts in the past but have since heard that some of the stuff in the ordinary super glues may not be the best for you. I believe there is a version for just this purpose called Dermabond (or something like that).
I worked in a fiberglass shop for a few years. We used Zap-A-Gap CA. It worked great and it also stopped the stinging. One thing I have learned since then is that you want to make sure the wound is cleaned out. You would not want to seal anything inside the wound. Just my .02.
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Super glue WASNT developed for wounds guys...Dat be a myth!!
Look into getting some Derma-bond if ya want quick wound closer's!!
Look into getting some Derma-bond if ya want quick wound closer's!!
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Okay to use in an emergency, but make sure not to close up the entire wound. It's best to use a line of separate spots of glue, so as not to seal in an infection.
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But if those materials are unavailable and superglue is what you have, you just have to make do.
Clean the wound first, of course. If you don't have any saline or clean water, pee on it. Urine is sterile. Don't apply alcohol or betadine solutions on large open wounds. They will destroy the exposed tissue.
After cleaning, you can apply your spots of glue. Then find something clean to loosely cover it up.
And get your ass to a clinic or hospital ASAP.
Clean the wound first, of course. If you don't have any saline or clean water, pee on it. Urine is sterile. Don't apply alcohol or betadine solutions on large open wounds. They will destroy the exposed tissue.
After cleaning, you can apply your spots of glue. Then find something clean to loosely cover it up.
And get your ass to a clinic or hospital ASAP.
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Further, from Wiki, obv:
History
Cyanoacrylate was discovered by Harry Coover at Eastman Kodak during World War II when searching for a way to make synthetic gun-sights (a substitute for spider silk). It did not solve this problem, since it stuck to all the apparatus used to handle it. It was first marketed to industry as well as consumers in February 1955 as a product called "Flash Glue" which is still available today. It was patented in 1956 and developed into Eastman 910 adhesive in 1958. The new glue was demonstrated in 1959 on the television show I've Got a Secret when the host Garry Moore was lifted into the air by two steel plates held together with a drop of Eastman 910. Cyanoacrylates are now a family of adhesives based on similar chemistry.
[edit] Medicine
The use of cyanoacrylate glues in medicine was considered fairly early on. Eastman Kodak and Ethicon began studying whether the glues could be used to hold human tissue together after surgery. In 1964, Eastman submitted an application to use cyanoacrylate glues to seal wounds to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Soon afterward Dr. Harry Coover's glue did find use in Vietnam reportedly in 1966, cyanoacrylates were tested on-site by a specially trained surgical team, with impressive results. In an interview with Dr. Coover by the Kingsport Times-News, Coover said that the compound demonstrated an excellent capacity to stop bleeding, and during the Vietnam War, he developed disposable cyanoacrylate sprays for use in the battlefield.
If somebody had a chest wound or open wound that was bleeding, the biggest problem they had was stopping the bleeding so they could get the patient back to the hospital. And the consequence was many of them bled to death. So the medics used the spray, stopped the bleeding, and were able to get the wounded back to the base hospital. And many, many lives were saved.
Dr. Harry Coover
The original Eastman formula was not FDA approved for medical use, however, because of a tendency to cause skin irritation and to generate heat. In 1998 the FDA approved 2-octyl cyanoacrylate for use in closing wounds and surgical incisions. Closure Medical have developed medical cyanoacrylates such as Dermabond, Soothe-N-Seal and Band-Aid Liquid Adhesive Bandage.
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Seen this before in other threads over the years. I've worked with blockheads that would use that over band-aids....
In a real pinch , last ditch emergency I would use Superglue , otherwise you may be asking for trouble.
The chemicals in that stuff , you do not want in your blood stream. As Leatherface mentioned there are medical bonders one can use.
In a real pinch , last ditch emergency I would use Superglue , otherwise you may be asking for trouble.
The chemicals in that stuff , you do not want in your blood stream. As Leatherface mentioned there are medical bonders one can use.
Waste of money, dermabond is cyanoacrylate, otherwise known as super glue. The minor chemical differences make dermabond a little more flexable. When you add the letters USP to anything it immediately costs 20 times more. Unless you can bill an insurance company for it, not worth it for feild expedient medical care.
Urine is sterile... thats interesting! You guys have all taught me a lot, thanks for all of the great advice. I've got a couple tubes of super glue, some army field dressings, and gauze at the top of my 1st Aid kit now for severe cuts.
ERdept
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As stated above, you can use Dermabond on small lacerations. Anything "nasty" (left open to the interpretation of someone with a MD, or PA, or NP behind their name), needs to be sutured.
Dermabond is essentially superglue that's gone through the FDA testing process and is approved for medical use and is made in different properties to suit human use. Again, as stated above, loss of one property in favor of another.
Do not use for large wounds. Never use near the eyes either, steri-strips or "butterflys" for superficial lacerations are good for that area near the eyes.
On large wounds, somewhat correct that you don't use Betadyne/Iodine. This is actually used, but diluted in Sterile water, or Normal Saline to irrigate still, even if the wound is large, but only upon determination that the wound is dirty or contaminated. For instance, a puncture or cut in the field with subsequent dirt, foreign matter getting in. Then they irrigate with diluted Betadyne/Iodine. Unconcentrated is good for only superficial cleaning and is indeed toxic to the skin and tissues, which are trying to heal.
If glue used, you need to approximate the skin (pinch it together so the the edges meet uniformly). Then apply the glue to the outside of the pinched skin. Hold till set. Then let go. The glue will breakdown in a few days, but by that time, the wound will have healed enough to keep itself approximated (touching together unifomly and reamainig closed).
Dermabond is essentially superglue that's gone through the FDA testing process and is approved for medical use and is made in different properties to suit human use. Again, as stated above, loss of one property in favor of another.
Do not use for large wounds. Never use near the eyes either, steri-strips or "butterflys" for superficial lacerations are good for that area near the eyes.
On large wounds, somewhat correct that you don't use Betadyne/Iodine. This is actually used, but diluted in Sterile water, or Normal Saline to irrigate still, even if the wound is large, but only upon determination that the wound is dirty or contaminated. For instance, a puncture or cut in the field with subsequent dirt, foreign matter getting in. Then they irrigate with diluted Betadyne/Iodine. Unconcentrated is good for only superficial cleaning and is indeed toxic to the skin and tissues, which are trying to heal.
If glue used, you need to approximate the skin (pinch it together so the the edges meet uniformly). Then apply the glue to the outside of the pinched skin. Hold till set. Then let go. The glue will breakdown in a few days, but by that time, the wound will have healed enough to keep itself approximated (touching together unifomly and reamainig closed).
What would you do for large wounds? Pack and dress, as mentioned earlier? If you do that, do you just essentially leave it open with gauze stuffed in there and then cover? Should you do a pressure dressing over top, or pressure cuff / tourniquet until the bleeding stops?