superglue

[MrJamieM]

No, i managed to stop the bleeding before i dressed it. I have basic first aid but nothing that good common sense wouldn't have told me.
What i was saying is when i took the dressing off the next day, super glue would have been perfect to stop the cut opening back up again and not having to put up with the hassle of having dressing on my thumb.

 

[rik_uk3]

So would a couple of ster-strips?

 

[Lumber Jack]

Steri strips come off. That's the annoying thing. They each have their own pro's and cons. You've already said it's up to each individual to do whatever they like.

Personally I'll continue using super glue. Knowing it's not going to pose any risk to me whatsoever.

LJ

 

[Grendel]

I've glued a few cuts together on patients with medical superglue and to be honest it is fiddly and messy. Also it usually has to be kept in a fridge and has a use by date on the medical stuff so unless you fancy keeping your medi-kit in a cool box I’d stick with steri-strips and an iodine dressing until you can get it seen to professionally.

 

[globalmedic]

Just my tuppence worth,

I wouldn't say the use of superglue is for experts. It's more important to be able to assess the wound and decide if it's appropriate. It's a tool that in the wrong hands could cause problems.

-Any closure of a potentially infected wound is not advised regardless of the method.

-As long as the two opposing edges are brought together and the glue is used over the top of the wound it shouldn't pose a great problem.

-It's great for clean incison wounds, especially on the head when getting anything else on there is problematic.

-I would use it on myself rather than everyone else, sadly we are living in an increasing litigious society.

I'm no expert but my friend who routinely works in minr injuries and does frequent trips with the TA (mainly medivac work) advocates the use of it.

Horses for courses

 

[EdS]

use superglue on unbroken skin to keep steristrips from coming off. Works for me.

 

[kiltedpict]

use superglue on unbroken skin to keep steristrips from coming off. Works for me.

Oh, nice idea! Like that.ATB,KP

 

[toilet digger]

i wouldn't use superglue on the kids, but i use it all the time. usually on cuts and gouges on my hands where there is constant movement is involved and plasters don't stick (not as sticky as they used to be). having spent most of my adult life on the farm, building site or the woods, i can whittle down a FAK to;
bog roll
sparky tape
woven triangular bandage
and super glue

regards jamie

 

[prescottr]

I am not really sure about using superglue to seal wounds as they might form some sort of irritation which would them worsen the wound, which is not really an option.

I think that it would react differently across people as there are differences with allergens that trigger different things.

I am really doubtful with this one but if for some thing, it comes out approved by the health department, then it must be pretty effective.

 

[BoonDoc]

The most important thing is training.

Know when to close a wound and when to leave it open with a wet to dry dressing. Using superglue should never be used inside a wound.

Go get some training! A Wilderness First Aid course or an 8 day Wilderness First Responder course. A course from your local Red Cross or St. John's is a great start but will not help you in the woods. You have to have wilderness medicine training.

Bushcraft is a dangerous sport. How many of you have had some pretty interesting injuries while out and about in the deep woods? How will you handle a spurting wound? When do you pop a blister and when do you keep it intact?

Know how to assess and treat most of the injuries and illnesses that you will find in the woods.

 

[FlyingHaggis]

while I have used both normal over the counter superglue and dermabond i a med centre I would not really take superglue as part of my own personal med kit but it is something i would carry in my Bergen , for wound closures i would use steristrip and if that does not work i would use a normal dressing mepore type then move on to a field dressing

 

[Graveworm]

The use of dermabond is in place of sutures, as others have pointed out regular super glue kills healthy cells and is prone to causing alergic reactions. It has advantages in some very limited circumstances where scarring is an issue or difficult locations but, like sutures, it's for when you have properly cleaned the wound and should be only carried out in an even more sterile environment as sutures are easier to reverse. It's not first aid it's medical care, so in the field it's weighing the risks of infection if proper medical care is not an option or other dangers mean you need to get back in the fight, for civilians in the UK I doubt it's ever indicated. It's not a substitute for plasters or for internal use. It's not much use in a big bleed either.

As an aside, If you keep getting cracked heels then prevention is probably better than having to keep curing. It can also be a symptom of diabetes, the chances are very remote if it's the only symptom, but it's an easy check so might be worth while.