superglue

[Dreadhead]

iv read and heard often it can be used to seal wounds back up etc and after a little research found that certain types of it are better than others for a specific medicinal/first aid purpose. but trying to find it is a pain!

Does anybody know what/where to buy superglue spcifically for fixing wounds? or am i really just better off with gauze & tape etc (no bloody sutures!)

Thanks

 

[Landy_Dom]

I use the loctite stuff for sealing my own minor cuts. I find the gel stuff slightly better than the liquid stuff. It is tempting to pick at it but resist. It only takes about 15 seconds to go off, so very quick and effective. Added bonus is that it renders the wound immobile. since cuts only hurt when they move, as soon as the cut is glued, it stops hurting too - result!

 

[Tank]

or am i really just better off with gauze & tape etc (no bloody sutures!)

Stick with the gauze and tape. I dont think there is need to use superglue for first aid, as far as i am away its also toxic. If you have a cut putting pressure on it will stop it bleeding, even if its a serious cut then pressure and get to professionals to deal with it, putting superglue on the cut will mean they have to deal with that to.

 

[Ahjno]

IMO people who are not trained to use superglue shouldn't have it available to them. I'm talking the medical stuff here; not the stuff that's used around the house - as some people use that aswell for glueing wounds ... AFAIK the chemical components differ, and could cause more harm than do good to you.

A friend of mine who is a doc told me once after I asked him about glueing wounds, that he encountered someone with a serious cut in his leg - while he did his interns on the ER department of a big hospital. The guys leg had some weird colors and it did hurt like hell. He superglued the wound, but didn't do it properly (and with the non-medical stuff). They had to cut him open, put in drains and stuff like that (BIG infection), a cocktail of meds and was put in a hospital bed for the next week or so.

If you have a big wound: cover it and dress it accordingly. Get to see a doc! better safe than sorry!
If you have a small wound / minor cut: plasters.

 

[rik_uk3]

Don't do it, you can get things like a thermal reaction which damages the skin and slows healing plus you are sealing crap in a wound....don't use it. Direct pressure will do the job, so just keep things simple please, nicely please.

 

[Corso]

The medical glue does a decent enough job but you wont be able to get it over the counter

I'd use steri strips but aside from that I agree with rik

 

[Dreadhead]

points taken, steri strips on their way

 

[nigeltm]

If the wound is deep and you can get to A&E in a few hours don't even bother with steri-strips. You're more likely to trap dirt and crap in the wound. Give it a good irrigation with drinking water, cover with a clean dressing and as long as you can travel and aren't leaking copious amounts of claret you're good to go.

In the UK you're normally close enough to some form of medical help that all you really need are plasters for the small cuts and a large-ish wound dressing for the gaping or big bleed wounds. Anything else isn't really worth carrying.

The most important thing is training. I don't know if you have any training but its worth investing in some.

 

[Mikey P]

It is possible to purchase the medical glue but it is v expensive. Normal superglue is not sterile and, as explained above, improper usage on a wound which is infected just seals the infection in and leads to abcesses or, at worst, systemic infections.

I had a shallow cut in my head glued last year after being knocked off my bike. Whilst it healed well, the nurse blobbed it everywhere and it was stuck in my hair for days and was very difficult to remove.

As for toxicity, it sets so quickly and is used in such small amounts (unless you get my nurse) that it can be disregarded in this case.

 

[Dreadhead]

ah very good advice especially about the hair, dont think id fancy having a dread glued over a wound
Iv opted tae leave superglue out as i would be more confident with gauze & tape etc so thanks all for the heads up!

 

[Frogo]

If you are going to use glue then this is the stuff you need cyanoacrylate. I have used in the past a wound stapler and optimed patches.

 

[Paradiddle]

Heard the original purpose of superglue was actually to close wounds quickly during the Vietnam war. They only realised that it was good for other things after.

Apparently it saved quite a lot of people because it seals the wound quickly and reduces the chance of blood loss. However it left permanent ugly scars since the cyanocrynolate prevents the wound from healing fully.

 

[Tank]

Heard the original purpose of superglue was actually to close wounds quickly during the Vietnam war. They only realised that it was good for other things after.

Apparently it saved quite a lot of people because it seals the wound quickly and reduces the chance of blood loss. However it left permanent ugly scars since the cyanocrynolate prevents the wound from healing fully.

I think (some one will correct me if i am wrong) but it was created by accident before the Vietnam War but it was used in Vietnam War to seal wounds. but that doesnt mean its best practice.

 

[FGYT]

Heard the original purpose of superglue was actually to close wounds quickly during the Vietnam war. They only realised that it was good for other things after.

Apparently it saved quite a lot of people because it seals the wound quickly and reduces the chance of blood loss. However it left permanent ugly scars since the cyanocrynolate prevents the wound from healing fully.

not true
e
it was discovered in WW2 it didn't work for the purpose they where researching which was to make a gun site reticule so was shelved as a novelty

the inventor only dies a couple of months ago

ATB

Duncna

 

[Paul_B]

A rellative's daughter got cut up bad on holiday somewhere in Europe when young (a total accident not some violent knife fight) and she was very fortunate to get treated by a really talented doctor out there who used superglue on her. Apparently he chose superglue because it minimised the scarring which as you'd expect is very important when a young lass gets cut on the face as badly as she did. AFAIK with the various creams she got and time the scars are only noticeable IF you know about them to look for them. All I can say is she was very lucky on many accounts of which the talented doctor who glued her up is but one of them. Her plastic surgeon back home said it was an exceptional piece of work for an A&E doctor and he left it alone as it was as good as he could have done with all his extra training and experience.

Anyway, my point is superglue is for experts IMHO not for any Tom, Dick or Harry to try just because they read of someone who did it on an outdoors or survival site. There is a saying K.I.S.S. which kind of applies here I think. If compression and normal dressings are good enough for all the years that they have then why bother changing. It is simple, easy to apply and quite often can be used even without the proper stuff. If you are bleeding from a really bad wound then you can use anything that is clean if you have to and got nothing else. Although we all carry a FAK with a large ambulance dressing in it don't we?!! We do? That's sorted then.

 

[Dreadhead]

A rellative's daughter got cut up bad on holiday somewhere in Europe when young (a total accident not some violent knife fight) and she was very fortunate to get treated by a really talented doctor out there who used superglue on her. Apparently he chose superglue because it minimised the scarring which as you'd expect is very important when a young lass gets cut on the face as badly as she did. AFAIK with the various creams she got and time the scars are only noticeable IF you know about them to look for them. All I can say is she was very lucky on many accounts of which the talented doctor who glued her up is but one of them. Her plastic surgeon back home said it was an exceptional piece of work for an A&E doctor and he left it alone as it was as good as he could have done with all his extra training and experience.

Anyway, my point is superglue is for experts IMHO not for any Tom, Dick or Harry to try just because they read of someone who did it on an outdoors or survival site. There is a saying K.I.S.S. which kind of applies here I think. If compression and normal dressings are good enough for all the years that they have then why bother changing. It is simple, easy to apply and quite often can be used even without the proper stuff. If you are bleeding from a really bad wound then you can use anything that is clean if you have to and got nothing else. Although we all carry a FAK with a large ambulance dressing in it don't we?!! We do? That's sorted then.

spot on there

 

[Paul_B]

I had cause to require a dressing or two (actually about 4 I believe on one hand and the blood still showed through). Fortunately one guy in our group was a retired MRT member (life member as he'd done well over 15 years in it as a full member). He got his first aid kit out on the crag we were perched on and it consisted ofone reeally large icecream tub that was about 6" square and about 8" high and another one that was same size except about 4" high. The smaller one was his drugs and the other was the rest!!. Needless to say the pain died quickly but the blood came through the first dressing then the second then when MRT got there a third was put over the top. Looked like a boxing glove with 3 large ambulance dressings. The large square and thick pads with a bandage attached to tie it on is what I had 3 of. Then back at their base I got them all cut off as they were sodden. They put another on and somehow the bleeding died back and I was able to get the coach home. Got a lift to my parents place as they live near me and got them to give me a lift to the A&E nearer to me.

Anyway I was glad fo the MRT guy with his nice drugs and those large ambilance dressings. Meant I didin't get a long line winch into a budgie which was perfectly fine with me (scared of heights you see and the cliff face chimney we were on would have needed a very long line winch to get me off). You never know when you might need a good dressing so IMHO no matter what always have at least one LARGE ambulance dressing in your FAK. Most shop bought kits only have small dressings but IME you do need at least the one large dressing. A larger dressing can be used on a small wound but a small dressing can't be used on a big wound.

That accident was interesting as I got to see what the NHS uses for wound dressings. They have all sorts of dressings now. There was one that looked and felt like that rubbery matting aldi and lidl sell to cut up and put on your dashboard in the car to stop stuff sliding around. You know the rubbery grid stuff. It supposedly doesn't stick to wounds. Then there were a few other types of stuff. The local doctor;s surgery had something else too. It is amazing what the NHS can get their hands on for wound dressing but I have yet to find anywhere selling them to the general public.

 

[Dreadhead]

iv been recovering for an operation for several months now with an open wound which requires attendantance of a nurse daily and im often given a nice big bag of medical supplies for district nurses to use and always end up with spares so there is always a silver lining! gloves, saline pods, plenty of tape and the odd wound dressing pads all for free these are all going into the FAK with some additions such as friars balsam and israeli ffd and some steri strips. fairly competent with that as a basic kit having now discovered that superglue is a waste of time without training etc

 

[Ex-member EagleOwl]

iv been recovering for an operation for several months now with an open wound which requires attendantance of a nurse daily and im often given a nice big bag of medical supplies for district nurses to use and always end up with spares so there is always a silver lining! gloves, saline pods, plenty of tape and the odd wound dressing pads all for free these are all going into the FAK with some additions such as friars balsam and israeli ffd and some steri strips. fairly competent with that as a basic kit having now discovered that superglue is a waste of time without training etc

Don't get into fights you can't win, that way noone will tear you a new a""hole lol.

 

[Genty]

This is my take on it:

Super Glue for Wound Closure

I'm not going to say 'Never use it" but nor am I going to advocate it. For small, minor nicks on yourself it is perfectly appropriate but for anything else it isn't all that great.

Read all the way down to see the contraindication (when you wouldn't use it). The list is quite lengthy and when you take them out, what wounds are left? Not many.


Steri-strips as has been said before and Friars Balsam (Tincture of Benzoin) to help it stick. Better still, a roll of Transpore tape; a plastic, perforated tape a bit like Micropore but which can be torn into very thin strips to make your own 'steri-strips as thick/thin or long/short as you like. Why take two things in your kit when one will do