Sliced Finger, stitches or glue?

WestHunt

Long story short i cut my finger this afternoon relatively deep but i dont think deep enough to get stitches. Its stopped bleeding but i cant bend it or it will open up and start to bleed again. I've had a few friends go to the hospital in the past and they had their cuts glued(krazy glue i think..??) instead of stitches. I dont want to waste 4 hours sitting in the hospital for them to tell me to put a bandaid on it or for them to glue it.

Has anyone heard of Krazy gluing cuts before and would you reccomend it? Im not a dumbass and i know what a deep enough cut is that would need stitches, but would krazy glue be alright for this?

Neaden

While a doctor may use a glue on your cut it is not just Krazy glue like you have at home. Do not I repeat do not just put regular crazy glue on an open cut unless you want to get an infection.

musanman

If you're not worried bout stiches why not just throw some neosporin on there with a bandaid.

Also any time you start a sentence with "I'm not a dumbass" you really should think about the topic you're discussing.

Erios

Go to the damn hospital.

Gafoto

I wonder how the glue could be different, they're all cyanoacrylate aren't they?

WestHunt

Its not bleeding anymore though, i just dont want to move it. And if it'll get infected im not going to bother with the krazy glue, and the hospital is a waste of time. It might be too late to get stitches anyways.

Im just going to call the hospital and talk to a nurse, see what she says. She probably has the best advice, just maybe...

Willeth

You'll hear a lot of people say that superglue was originally designed to heal wounds, and while this is the case, the only similarity it really shares now is the fact that it will stick skin together like you wouldn't believe. It's not sterile and it's not advisable.

If it's deep enough that you have to consider stitches, go to the hospital.

A Bear

A finger is going to move a lot and krazy glue might not be the best idea, medical attention seems like a smart move here. Maybe "minute clinics" or some sort of urgent care facility can handle this quickly?

Ultimanecat

While you can put super glue on a cut like that, the above poster is right in that it is not a terribly good idea unless you have no other choice. Doctors have special formulations for these cases, and normal super glue can cause irritation or possible allergic reactions (although I don't really think it'd directly cause an infection) from solvents or stabilizers that are put into it. Beyond that, they generally heat up when they're bonding, which could be a problem depending on how much you use.

McCly

Travis Barker put super glue on his cuts instead of band-aids, and they got super-infected and nasty. I would try taping a band-aid tightly around it or just go to the hospital.


(That's right, I watched that show)

supertall

If you can't move it without the cut opening back up, you need stitches.

Improvolone

When I was younger, I had a very sharp pocket knife close on my finger and stop on the bone. It was a deep cut.
I was of course alone when this happened, and scared to mention it to anyone farther than "I cut my finger". Like you, it was bad enough that I could bend my finger and it would open up nice. I never got stitches and never put super glue on it, but I did keep pressure on it kept it wrapped in clean gauze often. It'll heal, but you'll have to be extra careful with bending your finger. Maybe splint it to keep your self aware.

ApexMirage

Consider how long you'll have to go without bending the finger.
Consider bending it accidentally, opening the wound and raising your risk of infection even higher.

Consider medical help.

Burtletoy

WestHunt wrote: »

Long story short i cut my finger this afternoon relatively deep but i dont think deep enough to get stitches. Its stopped bleeding but i cant bend it or it will open up and start to bleed again. I've had a few friends go to the hospital in the past and they had their cuts glued(krazy glue i think..??) instead of stitches. I dont want to waste 4 hours sitting in the hospital for them to tell me to put a bandaid on it or for them to glue it.

Has anyone heard of Krazy gluing cuts before and would you reccomend it? Im not a dumbass and i know what a deep enough cut is that would need stitches, but would krazy glue be alright for this?

Just go buy some New Skin since that is actually what they will use on you at the hospital. It isn't super glue, but it is danm close, and it only costs about $8 I'd guess.

dispatch.o

At this point the hospital staff and doctor would basically tell you. "wow, that sucks... too bad we can't do anything about it now."

The period of time where it's beneficial to use stitches or dermabond is actually a pretty small window. Putting stitches into a wound that's 6-12 hours old is probably going to increase the infection rate, especially if you've managed to get it to stop bleeding.

Go buy some good non-adhesive bandages like gauze or telfa and wrap it gently securing with some paper tape. Change the dressing once or twice a day and be careful with it. Will probably take a while to heal.

If it starts feeling hot to the touch, turns red, starts swelling, oozing or you feel like you have a flu, go to a doctor. The scar is no big deal, but an infection is a very big deal. Also, you may have cut a nerve, don't be surprised if your sense of touch gets all fucked up for a while, even long after it heals.

shadydentist

Crazy gluing yourself is an emergency measure to minimize blood loss. Especially if you cant bend your fingers without it reopening, go to the hospital.

Psychotic One

Yeah super glue, or duct tape for that matter, are stop gap measures. Consider seeing a health professional and seeing what they recomend. I cut my shin badly and didn't think nothing of it now got an indented scar on my leg because I didn't goto a professional thinking Gauze and Wrapping was enough.

Blake T

When you go to the hospital show the triage nurse the cut, she should be able to judge fairly accurately what you need to do.

CycloneRanger

The type of superglue used for closing wounds is n-butyl-cyanoacrylate. The type usually sold in stores as Krazy Glue or whatever is ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate. I suppose in a pinch you could substitute one for the other, but I'd probably avoid it if you've already got the cut to stop bleeding.

EskimoDave

I usually just leave my cuts. That sounds like one I might put a bandaid on.

stigweard

A small steri-strip should do well enough. I've always just let them heal themselves or use a band-aid, but my hands are full of small white scar tissue from being an idiot about it.

Sol Invictus

When I get cut, I usually apply disinfectant like pure alcohol and iodine and then apply a bandage or a bandaid to the affected area. You should be able to find all of what you need in a first aid kit. Why go to a doctor if all he's going to do is the exact same thing while making you wait for 4 hours?

I mean, unless it's a big wound with a lot of blood loss, it's really nothing you should be worried about. But really, unless you have disinfectant at the ready (and actually know how to use it), you should see a doctor. The last thing you want to get is an infection.

And please, for the love of christ, don't use glue.

variant

band aid + metal strip to keep it straight, if you really can't afford a trip to the hospital

Barrakketh

CycloneRanger wrote: »

The type of superglue used for closing wounds is n-butyl-cyanoacrylate. The type usually sold in stores as Krazy Glue or whatever is ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate. I suppose in a pinch you could substitute one for the other, but I'd probably avoid it if you've already got the cut to stop bleeding.

DermaBond is 2-octyl cyanoacrylate.

Midshipman

Butterfly bandage!



I've used these guys to patch up box cutter wounds on fingers, palms, and even legs. Clean the wound. Add some disinfectant if you have some handy. Dry off contact spots on either side of the cut. Gently stretch the butterfly across the wound (crosswise to pull it shut). Put a regular bandage on top of the butterfly and wound to keep dirt out and to absorb any blood that might still be oozing out.

Szechuanosaurus

If it's stopped bleeding then the most you need is a bandaid to give the wound a bit of protection and hold it together while it heals itself up.