Does my husband need stitches?

[DaleyBump]

He tripped last night and sliced his finger on a bit of broken plate. It's quite deep and there's a big flap of skin covering it. The bleeding keeps stopping and starting because the flap of skin won't stay put. The only reason I'm asking is because the hospital is an hour and a half away (public transport) and he doesn't want to have to wait for hours if he doesn't need them.

[Hassled]

Might be worth a call to your GP Practice - there might be a nurse there who could cover it successfully.

[mymatemax]

I'd get some tape & tape it down, do you have a chemist nearby.

[gymboywalton]

if it's still bleeding then i would say yes
how about seeing the gp? they might be able to steri strip it?

[DaleyBump]

Chemist is shut and the GP told him to go to A&E but he won't go because he's not an emergency.

[Sparklingbrook]

My DH did the same sort of thing. We went to Minor Injuries. They put steristips on and bandaged it up. the only difference was the flap fell off, and we found it in the bath when we got back.

[Funnyfoot]

You should be able to but butter fly stitches from a supermarket. I cut my thumb the other day and it bled for what felt like hours but then again I am a bit of a wimp so it was more likely 20 minutes

[soaccidentprone]

You can buy steri strips at the chemists.

Use quite a few of them and then cover with some gauze and tape it down. Make sure you pull the side of the wound together evenly.

Or if you don't feel confident of doing this, is there a minor injuries unit closer.

[gymboywalton]

no but it is an accident and if the gp has told him to go, he should go

[DaleyBump]

It would be a 3 hour round trip to get to A supermarket and our chemist is shut so there's not anywhere we could get butterfly stitches or tape. Must make up a first aid box.

[DaleyBump]

Scuse the random capital.

[soaccidentprone]

Could you improvise with plasters?

Cut the sticky bit into narrow strips and use this to pull the wound together, then put a big plaster over the top?

Basically I would think you need something to pull the sides of the wound together to stop the bleeding, then something on top to protect it.

I'm surprised that given that it it such a long way to anywhere that you don't keep a well stocked first aid kit ie wound wash, steri strips, gauze, tape, bandages, plasters of varying sizes, scissors, eye wash, tcp etc.

I sliced my arm open last year whilst smashing up our old iron bath. Despite living very close to A&E and to a miu I did it myself. Washed the wound, then steri stripped it, and put a large plaster over the top. It healed fine within a couple of weeks.

Dh ended up at miu as he dropped a plasterboard on his big toe. I took him a couple of days later when it was clear it wasn't healing. They just put some padding on and a bandage (he has a latex allergy). It still kept bleeding a few days later, so he went to the gp, who passed him onto the nurse. She used a silver colloid solution to seal the wound, which stopped the bleeding (eventually), and gave us loads of dressings to use at home as the dressing needed replacing every day for a week. Good job I'm not squeamish

[Catsmamma]

won't it be too late for stitches now??

I'd tape it, keep it dry and covered and watch for any infection.

And yes...ideally there'd be proper first aid kit in everyone's house but it's one of those things ...well it is here.


Last time I had a cut finger I had to make do with a neon orange bat shaped plaster. And that was years old and barely sticky anymore.

[Hawkmoth]

A is for accident... It doesn't have to be life threatening! Some things can't be sorted otherwise.

[soaccidentprone]

Yes, but a 3 hour round trip & waiting time in A&E!

Just for a cut on the finger (admittedly a deep cut).

Op - you must live at the arse end of nowhere

[Catsmamma]

we'd be 50 minutes to A&E in Dundee...we do live in a field but not quite the arse end! :D

We do have a MI in town, five minutes away but they are very loathe to admit to having any facilities....ds2 broke his finger a couple of years back and I strapped it, we did go to get it checked and ask would it be worth the trip to Dundee for an Xray, Nurse said probably not, and off we went home. A week later when the swelling still had not gone down they made an appointment for him to have an Xray at the MI centre.

Not quite sure why she failed to mention that it could be done on the premises, but still.

[soaccidentprone]

Well I'd got to Mi and be very assertive!

But I'm quite good at that

[DaleyBump]

I do live in the arse end of nowhere haha. I don't think there is a MI around here but I'll have a google.

[candycoatedwaterdrops]

Just so you know - they won't stitch after a certain amount of time has elapsed due to the infection risk.

[Sidge]

It's unlikely that it would be stitched now - an infection risk and as the skin dries out and retracts slightly it doesn't come together for suturing as well.

Worth trying to stick the flap together, ideally with Steristrips or if you can't get those then fabric Elastoplast cut into strips, then a plaster over the top. (If you're really desperate use superglue but it stings like hell and has to be kept dry for 5 days which is difficult with fingers.)

If you live in the back of beyond it's worth having a halfway decent first aid kit in the house.

[DaleyBump]

Bugger bugger bugger, stupid man has ripped the flap of skin off and it's really bleeding. What now? He obviously can't get stitches now so he's keeping pressure on it but it's still bleeding.

[DaleyBump]

Hopeful bump.

[Sparklingbrook]

Daley are you ok? Is he okay? What did you do?

[DaleyBump]

We're fine thanks :) he ended up going to A&E where he got all bandaged up and sent away :)

[Sparklingbrook]

Oh good. has he got a comedy finger bandage? DH's was quite impressive, and got slowly more filthy.....

[DaleyBump]

He does! I didn't have any bandages at home so I sent him up with a breast pad secured by a bauble on his finger