Sutures and needles

I can not find any information about how to sterilize sutures if they expire.
Anyone know if its possable? I know boiling is out.
Thanks

The suture and needle packets come in a very heavy foil. Unless this is disrupted, they should remain sterile for years after the expiration dates. The expiration dates are and FDA requirement on all consumable medical goods, and do not necessarily indicate that the product is no longer usable. Expired sutures are often sold for veterinary use, or donated for use in less developed countries. I myself have used expired, intact suture packets that I obtained from an OR (which legally could not be used there) on injured pets and family members with no problems whatsoever. (Husband, 4 sons, dogs, rabbits, horses, ferrets, etc and we live in a rural setting, and I have medical training, it is in fact my livelihood.) I would never use any product in which the foil package has been disrupted.

If I were forced in an emergency to use a product with a disrupted foil package, I would soak it in rubbing alcohol for several minutes and then use it after allowing it to dry slightly. I would not try to boil it, as that may weaken the tensile strength of the suture material.

Here is a very interesting video link on the actual use of the QuickClot that my son, who is an army paramedic, made me aware of showing the use of QuickClot on an anesthetized pig. Warning, the video is a bit graphic on bleeding, so if you have a weak stomach, you may not wish to watch, but it is quiet informative and dramatically shows the use of the product.

www.youtube.com...

Sorry, I don’t know how to embed videos yet.

The above is not intended as medical advice, this is just my personal opinion and observation, for what its worth.
Regards, to all.

reply to post by ofthepeople


Excellent information, thank you! Also appreciated the quikclot info. Very expensive material, but good to have if you really need it.

A note of person experience with the suture foil packs: I live in the tropics, and the area of the house where I store our supplies and goodies is not air-conditioned -- ambient average temperature in that room might be 80-85 degrees.

I noticed a couple of years ago that a couple of the suture packs I'd stored seemed to feel very dry and unusually flat. I opened one, and apparently there had developed some micro-hole(s) in the foil, as the sutures were completely dry and brittle.

Since then, I've stored the suture packs inside a 10-mil zip bag, and I make sure they are wrapped in bubble wrap. No telling what might've happened to them, but I'd guess that all the moving back and forth might've caused the foil to bend repeatedly, or possibly got squished at one time or another (we load up my van with 7-days worth of stuff when hurricanes threaten, including the first aid backpack).

I didn't think about soaking the brittle sutures in alchohol. Like you, I don't usually worry much about sutures that are past the expiration date. Hell, I barely worry about cottage cheese that is more than a month past lol

Good post. Thanks again.


p.s. I think you have a lot to offer us in terms of medical systems/ideas/strategies in a survival setting. I look forward to your future posts/threads.

cheers

[edit on 8/11/09 by argentus]

Thanks ofthepeaple I finally did order some Quik clot and argentus I am putting my sutures in ziplock bags. Great info.

Gun shot wound suggestions ? This is a worry I know different kinds of wounds mean different treatment I think maybe a clean in and out in a arm or leg. The shooting has stopped and I am safe.
What would I do?
In a above cases what medical treatment would you perform ?
A bullet goes through a limb and has exited. No doctor is coming ever.
You are in the woods you need to treat a friend. No arteries have been hit.
I would at this point of knowledge, Immediately shove tampons or gauze in each end entry and exit then wrap with duck tape or med wrap to secure more blood loss then try to move this person into a better sanitary situation such as a unused tent or a at least spray Lysol tent or clean room. I would need another person to do this unless the wounded could walk.
Then I would remove the clothing around the wound cutting it off or discarding it by any means figuring its unsanitary, then I would lay sanitary cloth or paper around the wound. Then I would wash my hands, change my clothes to a newly washed pair or cover myself with a hospital gown that I have purchased that is sealed and put on sterile gloves and a mask. Then I would clean around the wound with iodine. Then I would need to unwrap the 1st wound and remove the tampon or gauze to expose the wound. Then I would clean the wounds independently by flushing with a sterile saline or water and bleach mixture with a large plastic syringe making sure I do not see any dirt or objects treating each wound completely before going to the other. At this point the damage will be done by the size of the bullet so if its small I think I would apply some silver directly to the wound then butterfly tape it closed then apply a bacteria killing gel over the butterfly tape and then sterile gauze taped over that. If the damage is larger I think I would clot it, gauze it apply a triple antibiotic gel or dry antibiotic powder and duck tape it closed. Either way it needs to be checked every hour for infection. I would give the wounded antibiotics for 7 to 10 days probably cefalexon.
What do you think?

[edit on 13-11-2009 by saralee]

reply to post by saralee


Don't want to sound rude, but, have you considered whether the person you plan to treat is an enemy, crazy, etc., etc., etc.?

Also, you could never cover every situation without building your own personal hospital. If you are not a doctor or trained it is very risky to consider doing what you are planning. How could you possibly assess the wound? You may want to reevaluate what your intentions really are.

Originally posted by Zosynspiracy
Dermabond is what you mean by "liquid stitch". It's good for superficial skin lacerations but not so good for deeper lacerations or surgical incisions. Especially when the deeper dermis and adipose layers are involved.

He did mean actual super glue tho. I'd like to FYI anyone not familiar with the super glue stitch process: It's best to use this method when the cut is very clean, meaning clean slice, and that isnt currently bleeding. The idea is the slice is clean enough that once dried each side of the wound can be pressed clean against eachother without leaving any exposed flesh.

Get some krazy glue in an open wound and you'll no longer wonder why. But besides the stinging, I highly doubt that super glue solvent is the sort of stuff you want entering your bloodstream. SO my rule is, if you can get the results I've specified, then it should work for any wound. But the larger the wound becomes the less likely you'll get such a scenario.

I dont think I've needed stitches since I've been using the method for many years, with or without this method. I do however get cuts and burns on a regular basis with all of my hands on activities. There's been many times I've used the glue where I wouldn't have gone to the Rx anyways, and life was much better thanks to the crazy glue. I've mostly used it on my hands, and you may get about 90% usefulness of the glued finger or whatever.

When used properly, it falls off right about the time the wound is healed.

Also dont forget DUCTAPE!

It's the super glue for the more rugged cuts. As with super glue: Be sure the wound is good and clean before application, meaning its ready to be sealed in. You can unpeel ductape to access the fallout of improper cleansing, but that could cause its own issues.

You want to be sure you have it right before application, sort of like dont self-cast a broken limb without being sure the bone is proper. It's a balance of not being too hasty, but not waiting too long to lose ideal tissue conditions for the 'repair'. And if you have to rip some ductape off later you'll have more tender tissue to look forward to than shortly after receiving the damage.

reply to post by Siren

Wow , I had a issue with my login and finally was able to reset it. What do you mean ? I know what a gun shot wound looks like. What else could anyone do with no licenced medical person available. No, I would treat friend not foe. If crazy a good punch may help.

I have found that a good commercially available wound dressing such as a Bloodstopper Dressing works really well; small and lightweight enough to be easily packed with your other essentials. The plastic bag that they are packaged in makes them waterproof. Great for in the backpack or survival kit

I have never had to use one of these with a very large wound, but they do stop the bleeding from a "nasty" cut.

www.firstaidkitproducts.com...