More Wound Dressing and Wound Closure

Step 3: More Wound Dressing and Wound Closure

Once you have the wound covered with your 2x2's or 3x4's you will need to secure them to the wound. For small scrapes I prefer just to tape the dressing in place, I use 1" water-proof medical tape. 4" strile roll gauze is used for wounds that need complete coverage. For wounds that require a pressure dressing to get bleeding under control I use a self-adhesive, ACE type bandage. For wounds that require closure to control bleeding I use super glue. I have seen kits that have suture kits in them, and I have those in my large kit, but unless you are Rambo you are not going to want to stick a needle into your flesh over and over again to close a wound. It hurts, a lot! And if you are pressed for time (in a fire fight, running for your life, etc) you won't have the time even if you are Rambo. A couple drops of super glue directly in the wound and pushing the skin closed seals the wound in a matter of seconds plus super glue has the added benefit of causing the blood to clot. The only down side is that it does burn a little and you could stick your fingers to the wound if you aren't caeful. I have butterfly closures in my large kit but have left them out of the IFAK because they are better suited to wound closure when you are not in the field.