Superglue wound closure tutorial

I carry a tube of superglue with me, but I doubt I would use it on a wound unless I really had to. However, I can understand why a lot of people do use superflue.

Good post :thumbup:
 
In my warehouse we have a bottle of Iodine to clean cuts and then we use duct tape as well. Not the best, but it works and stays on much longer than band-aids.

Ofcourse really deep wounds that require medical attention get treated as such.
 
Something is not clear to me here, do you pour the glue IN the wound or put the sides of the cut together and put the glue on the top?
 
What do you guys think about cleaning with simple soap and water vs other methods? When I started road biking alot I crashed prety hard at a race and the EMT that patched me up just used a simple salt water spray in a can. Then a hydro bandage with some clear sticky film applied on top of that. I was good to go and the thing stayd on the whole race. He said that for most cuts and scrapes the simple salt water or mild soapy water and a clean rinse are all you want to use. Something about the other methods (peroxise, iodine etc.) killing just as many good bacteria as bad. and adding days onto the healing cycle

I am a fan of glue when the injury is in a high use area and youre remote. Fingers, toes or other flexible area. Especially when you may have to expose the area to muck that traditional bandage methods wont keep out. In my experience, you have to apply the glue several times, its not a for sure method of wound closure.
 
I carry around a bottle of clotting agent(forgot the name)super glue is good. I also ue loctite andon top of that if im in a nasty place ultra grey rtv and gorilla tape...
 
I put the Glue inside the wound. And on the oustide. The Cyanoacrylate use scares a lot of people who think it contains cyanide but thats not true, it's not toxic at all. Doctors use it all the time. Vets use it to fix split animal hooves, reapply cracked tortous shell etc. They even use cyanoacrylate to glue broken coral in aquaria. It's not toxic. I am not an idiot who is dumb enough to just squirt any glue inside a wound. I do research before i use something. My brother is an HEMS nurse.

The bottle is not sterile itself, but the glue on itself has a antibacteriological function. The polymerisation process actually kills bacteria wile curing. So next to the alcohol as a desinfectant the chemical bonding process is antibacteriological as well. Once cured the glue still has limited antibacteriological properties against new bacteria. I found this from a research article:

"Cyanoacrylate polymers have been used as biological adhesives in the cornea for over 40 years. [1],[2],[3] Their monomers are obtained through the condensation of cyanoacetate with formaldehyde in a base-catalyzed reaction. [4] A polymer is formed as a number of monomers join together under the effect of a catalyst, such as water. [5]

The polymerized adhesive promotes wound healing, vascularization, and epithelialization of the injured corneal stroma. [6] It also inhibits corneal melting by directly antagonizing collagenases and by blocking the migration of inflammatory cells, such as polymorphonuclear leukocytes. [4]

The antimicrobial properties of cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives have been reported previously and some authors have even promoted its use in the prophylaxis or treatment of infection in corneal ulcers. [7],[8],[9] It has also been postulated that the antimicrobial effects may be derived, at least in part, from the polymerization process itself, although no study has specifically analyzed this assumption. [8]

The aim of the study was to establish the role of the polymerization reaction in conferring additional antibacterial properties to cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives. "

"Purpose: To ascertain if the polymerization reaction also contributes additionally to the antibacterial effects of two commonly used cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives.
Materials and Methods: Fresh liquid ethyl-cyanoacrylate (EC) and N-butyl-cyanoacrylate (BC) adhesives were applied onto 6-mm sterile filter paper discs. In the first group, the adhesive-soaked discs were immediately placed onto confluent monolayer cultures of bacteria, allowing the polymerization reaction to proceed while in culture. In the second group, the adhesive-soaked disc was allowed to first polymerize prior to being placed onto the bacterial cultures. Four types of bacteria were studied: Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pneumoniae , Escherichia coli , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Immediately after the discs were applied, the cultures were incubated at 35° C for 24 h. Bacterial inhibitory halos were measured in the cultures at the end of the incubation period.
Results: For EC, exposure of the bacteria to the cyanoacrylate polymerization reaction increased the bacterial inhibitory halos in Streptococcus pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. For BC, it increased the bacterial inhibitory halos in Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae . No inhibitory halos were observed in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The bactericidal effect was higher in actively polymerizing EC, compared to previously polymerized EC in Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli ; however, no such differences were observed for BC.
Conclusions: The polymerization reaction may also be an important factor in the antibacterial properties of EC and BC.
source: Antibacterial properties of cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive: Does the polymerization reaction play a role?

http://www.ijo.in/article.asp?issn=...=57;issue=5;spage=341;epage=344;aulast=Romero
 
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Raidium said:
What do you guys think about cleaning with simple soap and water vs other methods? When I started road biking alot I crashed prety hard at a race and the EMT that patched me up just used a simple salt water spray in a can. Then a hydro bandage with some clear sticky film applied on top of that. I was good to go and the thing stayd on the whole race. He said that for most cuts and scrapes the simple salt water or mild soapy water and a clean rinse are all you want to use. Something about the other methods (peroxise, iodine etc.) killing just as many good bacteria as bad. and adding days onto the healing cycle
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It all depends on how mucked up the wound is. I'm surprised your wound wasn't embedded with asphalt, rocks, and dirt. A wound like that is worse, because it needs to be scrubbed (Yes I mean scrubbed) with a pad or something coarse that will lift that dirt out of there. It is not a pleasant experience. If your wound is generally clean, just wash it, and put an antibiotic ointment on it and bandage it. Piece of cake!!!

Jeff
 
Docters use it all the time.
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Uhhhhh, no they don't assuming you mean doctors.

There's several things wrong with the idea. First is that the outside that tells you the product should not be used on the body and to call poison control if you get it internally. If the stuff was even marginally useful for medicinal purposes, don't you think the marketing types would type it on the bottle?

Second is that it is very easy to cause an abscess, which is a pocket of exudate (pus) which can lead to systemic septic shock in no time. If you have some medical training you may be able to see the signs ahead of time and perhaps lance the wound.

EMTs and nurses generally aren't trained to permanently close wounds. Thats because it isn't safe to do so with that level of training. Surgeons with aseptic equipment and antibiotics still have a pretty high level of infections.

There's a heck of a lot more involved in closing a wound than just irrigating it with saline. Proper antiseptics are the minimum. Knowledge of which wounds to close and which ones to not do so. When to use drains. When antibiotics are needed.

You can probably get away with doing anything or doing nothing with most superficial wounds. You can also kill yourself if you screw up.
 
I have glued a few cuts together, and have never put glue into an open wound The first step is to get in clean saline solution is best but with nothing else around good old running tap water will do the trick. Once you have cleaned out the wound and disinfected it, I use peroxide, app[y pressure till it stops bleeding and holds itself close while held still. After that I apply a thin coat of crazy glue over the top, let that dry and apply gauze or a band-aide. By the time the glue flakes off the cut is healed enough to stay closed on its own. This is my last glue job
DSC01051.jpg

this is about 45 minutes after the cut with the glue on it.
Never put crazy glue on an abrasion, it must be a clean cut for it to work.
 
Nemoaz, i am not going to start a flame war on this. If you or anyone else have a reason to believe you should not use it, that's fine with me.
I know what an ulcer is.
If you read the peer reviewed article i included and my post you should have seen the line

"The antimicrobial properties of cyanoacrylate tissue adhesives have been reported previously and some authors have even promoted its use in the prophylaxis or treatment of infection in corneal ulcers"
 
Raidium said:
What do you guys think about cleaning with simple soap and water vs other methods? When I started road biking alot I crashed prety hard at a race and the EMT that patched me up just used a simple salt water spray in a can. Then a hydro bandage with some clear sticky film applied on top of that. I was good to go and the thing stayd on the whole race. He said that for most cuts and scrapes the simple salt water or mild soapy water and a clean rinse are all you want to use. Something about the other methods (peroxise, iodine etc.) killing just as many good bacteria as bad. and adding days onto the healing cycle

I am a fan of glue when the injury is in a high use area and youre remote. Fingers, toes or other flexible area. Especially when you may have to expose the area to muck that traditional bandage methods wont keep out. In my experience, you have to apply the glue several times, its not a for sure method of wound closure.
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Soap and water is all that's needed. I've never had an infection from a cut. I remember hearing somewhere that alcohol on a wound can increase the amount of scar tissue. Don't know if that's correct though.
 
KB1SYV said:
It all depends on how mucked up the wound is. I'm surprised your wound wasn't embedded with asphalt, rocks, and dirt. A wound like that is worse, because it needs to be scrubbed (Yes I mean scrubbed) with a pad or something coarse that will lift that dirt out of there. It is not a pleasant experience. If your wound is generally clean, just wash it, and put an antibiotic ointment on it and bandage it. Piece of cake!!!

Jeff
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I had to scrub it when I got home, but just used soapy water and nothing crazy. Then topped it off with a hydro dressing. Healed in a couple days with no scars. I have had some serious road rash from a stupid rollerblading accident involving me holding on to a bumper and the car going very fast.

That required daily cleaning and bandage changes as well as some powerful medications. Since then I have learned alot about burns and scrape / gash type injuries thorugh being a volunteer firefighter and road biking. Moist and clean is what you want.

There are some schools of thought now saying that outside of initial debridement you shouldnt scrub anymore. The wound will clean itself out with proper dressings.

This shit here is crazy awesome http://www.alibaba.com/product/jp102744537-105387836-0/Antimicrobial_Hydro_Gauze_dressings_and_bandages_with_silver_ions.html

Not really something I would put in an outdoors kit. Very spendy too.

For wilderness travel you might want this
http://www.convatec.com/en/cvtus-duodrrngus/cvt-portallev1/0/detail/0/1444/1847/duoderm-dressing-range.html

Clean the wound put duoderm on top and then some surgilast or tape. If you had to seal it in place for rugged travel or use you can put tegaderm over it and you are back in action.

You can leave these bandages in place for several days. Sometimes the wound will be almost healed when you swap out the bandage. One advantage of the hydro dressings is that they are also clear so you can see how the healing is progressing.

Little off topic of cuts but it might help someone out there.
 
I started using super glue for skin flaps and small cuts, works great.

It may or may not be poisonous, but a few drops and it contacting blood makes it puff up and almost instantaneously harden, no worries about it getting in my blood stream.

Bigger cuts, I don't clean em, I use tap water and let it run over till the bleeding slows, the blood will push everything out. After that, super glue the outside.

The first time I did it I forgot I had cut myself... no bleeding but pain abounded when I bumped it.
 
Yeah, no pissing battle intended and I realize you posted an article regarding the study of using it in a corneal ulceration. That has little application to approximating a wound IMO.

You posted that the MDs were using it. They aren't. At least not in emergency medicine that I have ever seen or hear of. I've been in emergency medicine (military medic, paramedic. ER nurse, but now back to EMT-basic) since the mid 80s. I don't adjust my practice or my kits from internet posts.

I don't know where you are or what is being done in your neck of the woods. Obviously, you can do what you want. I won't lose any sleep.

I don't close wounds in the field even though I'm more trained and experienced than most (at least those who aren't surgeons, ER docs, or PAs) to do it. I didn't do it when everyone thought cauterizing or suturing ala Rambo was cool, and I don't do it know when everyone thinks superglue is the latest thing. The risk of closing the wound outweighs the slight inconvenience of a slightly worse scar. I stop the bleeding with pressure and dress the wound just the way the all the manuals say.

Again, the risk may not be that great with a superficial nick, but that can be easily handled with triple antibiotic and a bandaid anyway.

the blood will push everything out.
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Uhhhh, you have lotsa to learn about microbiology.
 
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Super Glue is mildly toxic, and some people are hypersensitive to it, but it is a decent quick fix in an emergency if you are using the flexible gel rather than the original formula which gets brittle, cracks and flakes.

Medical glues like Dermabond and Skin Shield are inexpensive, contain antiseptics, and are a far better choice. Everyone should have a few vials for treating cuts that Band Aids won't work on. A few years back I seriously gashed my thumb open at 2 AM and probably would've received at least 8 stitches and a bill for a thousand dollars if I went to the ER. Skin Shield fixed it right up. :thumbup:
 
Cleaning a wound with alcohol is not ideal, as it also kills the flesh. Also, regular Superglue is not the same as medical grade cyanoacrolyte. Besides the sterility thing, and biocomp testing, the solvent that is used in it is different. The solvent in regular super glue is not good for the wound. I am not a doc, or play one on tv, but I am an engineer in the medical device field. Just sayin'.
 
stevomiller said:
Cleaning a wound with alcohol is not ideal, as it also kills the flesh. Also, regular Superglue is not the same as medical grade cyanoacrolyte. Besides the sterility thing, and biocomp testing, the solvent that is used in it is different. The solvent in regular super glue is not good for the wound. I am not a doc, or play one on tv, but I am an engineer in the medical device field. Just sayin'.
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the reason i only use it over the cut and not in it is because that's what the doctor told me the last time I went in to get a knife slice fixed. This is not a direct quote from her as it was too long ago to remember it word for word. As long as it is a clean cut, with no tears one missing skin it is ok to use non medical grade glue over the top of it after you get the bleeding stopped. I guess I wasn't really clear on disinfecting, I didn't mean in the wound itself but the area around it. Even when the doctor uses medical grade glue they don't put it in the cut itself
 
Ive been dripping super glue and its many variants into cuts for over 20 years now. I have NEVER had ANY issues. I have dripped it into 3" long x 1/4" wide wounds and have never had issues. Skin flaps, no issues. Sealing torn blisters, no issues. Sealing abrasions, no issues. No infections, no poisoning, no issues whatsoever.

I average about 10 - 40 cuts a year ranging from knife use (mostly kitchen usage) to paper cuts to skin tears when working on truck.

my general application is to soak up the blood with gauze, wipe clean, drop in the superglue and leave it for days on end.

no issues. I would really like to see some REAL cases of problems with it.......
 
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