Superglue for First Aid

S

sodak

Joined
Mar 26, 2004
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I've been pretty successful using superglue for keeping cuts closed. I know there is a medical grade superglue, but what fun is that? :p :D

I've had bad luck with Krazy Glue turning solid on me in a month or so in my kit. The best kind I've found is the black tubes from Walmart, it doesn't seem as watery as other ones.

Which kind do you prefer, and why?
 
I like the newer Krazy Glue Single use tubes...
Open it, use it, throw it away. No open tubes to dry out or leak.

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Hi sodak,

Might as well skip the 'everyday-grade' superglue and go for some more potent stuff. Some years ago, my job required me to use different kinds of superglue on a regular basis. I would recommend purchasing a thin to medium viscosity cyanoacrylate (CA) superglue that comes with a nozzle cap. Brand names don't matter much, as about 80% of CA is manufactured by the same people anyway.

You can order gap filling CA from Texas Knifemaker's Supply. This is medium viscosity, and should do the trick. A thin CA may be better, as it sets almost instantly (particularly when it comes into contact with fluids). But it has the consistency of water, and you mentioned wanting a thicker option. Both of the bottles here are of a standardized type, with a nozzle / cap that can be replaced if it gets gunked up.

If they don't have this kind of CA at your local hardware store, try going to a hobby shop that specializes in remote control aircraft.

That's my $0.02 CDN. I'm sure someone will come along and recommend a medical grade CA that is specially designed for closing cuts!

All the best,

- Mike
 
Supposedly, cyanoacrylate is the ingredient to look for, if I remember right.
That being said, I bought a cheap chinese clone from a flea-market; 10 small tubes for $1.
Instead of covering the entire wound, I lay strips of glue; kind'a like butterfly strips. There is more than enough glue in each of the small tubes, but I treat them as disposable once I break the seal because the threading on the cap is pretty crummy.

I hope this isn't too far off-topic: I've used the 'liquid bandage', CVS brand, and it works ok for really small stuff, like nicks on your hand you don't want coming into contact with dirty material handling. I've never had a problem, but I've heard more than once that it is bad practice to completely cover a wound, which may seal in infection at worst, or keep it from drying/draining properly. I think I've also heard that it is basically just nail-polish, without the extras like color. The bottle is about the size of an iodine bottle, says over 50 applications, and there is a threaded cap that seems secure.
 
Good suggestions, thanks everyone, I'll check them all out. Yeah, the wounds that I close on myself are pretty small, but this stuff is just too handy not to have...
 
I use it all the time. I've found that on a fresh wound, if you press it closed and put the glue over it instead of in it, it sticks better and burns less. Once the wound dries out a bit, after a day or so, I drip glue into the wound and hold it shut then put it on top.

I almost always end up gluing my fingers to wherever the wound is. Oh yea, picking the dried glue off of your skin is the most addictive thing in the world.
 
I just use the regular little tubes of superglue. I pick them up 3 for $1 at the dollar store.

I do what Shotgunner 11 said. Pinch it closed and put the glue on top.

After I cut my knee on a razor sharp khukuri I closed it up with superglue. Saved me probably 4 stitches and a trip to the emergency room. It healed up perfectly. Works good in an emergency or if your broke with no health insurance like me.

IMG_4830.jpg
 
I can see it now "No officer, I cut MYSELF with this huge knife and it's MY blood all over my pants......really."
 
I think the original CA glue, Eastman 910, was initially designed as a modern suture - but was found to produce skin lesions in lab mice - at 1,000's of times the designed exposure, of course. Morticians love it... best thing in their industry since wadded up nes paper!

Stainz
 
No povidone iodine. No cleaning the wound? Just pinch it together and glue it, huh? That how it's done.

May I recommend for your reading Microbiology 101.

I think those that don't know how to clean a wound properly should never consider closing it properly. Even surgeons in sterile environments with access to every option of irrigation and cleaning and with access to supplemental broad spectrum antibiotics have difficulty with secondary infections.

Just because Rambo closes his wounds doesn't mean you should. Bandage it, and change the bandages as often as you can. If it heals naturally, from the inside out, it will push puss and infection outside the body. Mother nature knows what she's doing.
 
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