Superglue instead of stitches

Sharptooth

Sharptooth

Joined
Apr 8, 2002
Messages
34
Ihave before read in numerous posts on the internet about superglue int the place of stitches(on a clean wound).I know that many hospitals and doctors use dermabond which is a similar product , but have been told that superglue contains small amounts of cyanide.Does anyone know about this for sure?

Secondly I have my own little stash of "dermabond" in my PSK.It is the size of a pill with a little spigot on the end. Just snip off the little spigot, apply, and press closed.(aquired through my loving wifes boss, the vet!)
 
The main ingredients in superglue are alcohol and cyanoacrylate (C5H5NO2). Cyanoacrylate is an acrylic resin that begins polymerizing almost instantly on contact with the hydroxyl ions found in water (anything you want to glue will probably have at least trace amounts of water, thus superglue's versatility.)

The concerns about damage to tissue from the use of superglue come not from the cyanoacrylate, but from the alcohol used for the chemical reaction. Regular superglue uses methanol (CH3OH), which is inexpensive to produce, but it creates a lot of heat in the reaction (and can cause burns if used on a large enough area) and also happens to be toxic. (This is the same stuff they add to ethanol to "denature" it, primarily to avoid the taxes on alcohol by making it undrinkable.)

Medical superglues, on the other hand, use butyl, isobutyl or octyl esters rather than methyl alcohol. The esters are much safer, inhibit bacterial growth, are painless to apply, produce a lot less heat, and the body is able to break them down easily.
 
I use regular super glue all the time for smaller cuts. For larger cuts, I break down and buy the Band Aide brand of Dermabond called Liquid Bandage. It is the exact same thing. From what I heard about the cyanide is that the shorter chains of the cyanoacrylate break down, with cyanoacetate and formaledhyde being two of the byproducts. The Dermabond is a longer, and thus more stabil chain of cyanoacryllate that doesn't break down into cyanoacetate and formaldehyde. Might want to research that though.

Mike

Edited to add: I made it easy for you. I researched it and found the answer HERE.
 
I tryed Superglue on a hand cut after hearing about it's medical use, and it worked.
 
I work on a production line making rear projections TV for a major electronics company and we use superglue on the line all the time for minor cuts and scraps... reaching into the sets to install various components we are always scratching and banging our hands on sharp edges (circuit boards, heat sinks, etc.). Haven't seen or heard of any bad reactions so far!!
 
You would probably have to use regular superglue on a large or deep wound in order to notice any ill effects.
 
I've got good news and bad news!;)

First, the good news. I have used Dermabond AND superglue with great results. Once I cut my pinky to the bone while doing a cord wrap on a CRKT stiff KISS . . . had to go to the ER and they used Dermabond to put it back together and it did wonderfully! Later, I got my thumb busted up pretty bad playing floor hockey in a gym. It busted open the thumb and broke the nail into four pieces and peeled it most of the way off. I used a ton of super glue and a stick to glue the thumb back together and push the pieces of nail back down and attatched them. It healed great and the nail eventually grew back to normal.
Next, the bad news. Here in Central America you CAN get stitches but they look Horrible and leave bad scars. My four year old son fell off a swing and split his chin badly. It needed stiches but would have left a horrible scar if we would have taken him to the hospital to get sewn up. SO, I used superglue. BAD idea!:( It is TOO stiff and brittle for that area and was a huge pain to maintain. I had to reapply several times and eventually go to steri-strips. He wound up with a very small scar rather than the train tracks he would of had from the Docs here BUT I sure would have prefered a good plastic surgeon if that had been available!
 
Dermabond is a great tool, but it has to be used in the appropriate applicationn. It's best used for small shallow cuts, in areas that are not under high stress. Areas under tension (over joints for example), the dermabond won't hold.

Also, it's not a good idea to seal deep cuts and -especially- don't seal puncture wounds, as they're ripe for infection, which you have nicely sealed in. Cellulitis is a bad thing.

Oh, and one last thing, if you get a bad/deep cut over a joint, and there is ANY chance that it went deep enough to expose the joint (fingers are most succeptible here), GO TO THE ER! An open joint is a medical/surgical emergency.

Best,
Cedric
 
do you apply the glue on TOP of the cur or IN it?
Good thread!
 
I needed it when I poped my hand with my hatchet last summer..........thats for sure!!
 
IMHO you guys are nuts to use superglue on a bleeding wound.
Yea nobody notices any ill effects becuase of all the other chemicals in our bodies via water and food and the dirty air.
So that said , I guess it doesnt really matter if you use superglue for a open wound or not....
:p
 
I have used superglue for small cuts that require small stitches for years. I clean the cut out with diluted providone iodine, let it dry and then clost he wound and seal it on top with the glue.

My grandfather and father on the other hand used to cut open pine trees and spoon fresh sap into wounds that required several layers of stitches cover it with clean cloth and then tape it up and never got an infection and had little scarring.

All that and without a word like it happened on a daily basis as they got back to bucking logs or whatever :rolleyes: . They dont make people like that anymore.

Stitching in infection is a bad idea crazy glue is much less permanent so less a problem. Either way take a wilderness first aid course as its different than your standard street FA. Learn wound cleaning and managment.

skam
 
skammer said:
I have used superglue for small cuts that require small stitches for years.
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I tried that, I would rather stitch it, you are much more functional with stitches than super glue.

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
I tried that, I would rather stitch it, you are much more functional with stitches than super glue.

-Cliff
Click to expand...


Absolutely, Stitches are better as the glue needs to be rapplied and watched out for. Stitches are best used for movable sking parts and parts that get a lot of contact. I just can't be bothered to go to the emergency room and wait 8 hrs for some 12 year old intern to say it needs cleaning and if I want stitches or glue? :rolleyes:
There is a vet type product a friend uses on his dogs, horses and his family not yet approved for humans called EMT gel. It covers the wound dries and seals it up from the inside out, silicone based I believe. I want to give it a try next.

Skam
 
skammer said:
I just can't be bothered to go to the emergency room ...
Click to expand...

Neither would I, I just do it myself, I come from the line of pine sap and bread poultice guys. I used to carry fine mono-fishing line and a suitable needle, but then obtained some actual sutures and the curved needle makes it easier.

-Cliff
 
Cliff Stamp said:
Neither would I, I just do it myself...

-Cliff
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:D :D ;) Ahhh..hell. My pair aint that big :thumbup: ;) :D

Just kidding Cliff, I liked reading your post.....
 
I've sewn myself up before (under sterile conditions), but never would I suggest suturing or gluing a wound in the field. You definitely risk infection , especially w/ any wound that really needs stitches (most wounds will heal just fine without them). I'm of the wash it out (use clean water or saline, if you have it - betadine, peroxide, iodine are all toxic to tissue & retard wound healing), and either loosely approximating the skin w/ steri-strips, or packing the wound w/ gauze & covering -crowd.

The pinesap, etc... crowd is more a testament to the rejuvenation abilities of the body, and less to the efficacy of home remedies. And that's the point - the body (esp. in a young, healthy person) will heal just fine on it's own. Sutures do allow the wound to heal faster (decreases the space the body must fill in & contract) and gives a better scar, but they usually aren't "essential". For those who are hell bent on closing up wounds, I'd go the steri-strip route (they hold remarkably well when applied properly) or get a skin stapler - at least w/ the stapler you have less chances of introducing bacteria into the deeper tissues.
 
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