Duct Tape Suture in a Straw

Two items:  First, get your articles in for this month’s writing contest.  Second, Blogger has put me into some kind of purgatory for the last week or so to where I cannot reply to any comments made on the blog.  I have no idea how long I will be here.  I just had a thought that I might be able to borrow my husband’s laptop when he comes home, so I’ll try responding that way for the time being.

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health
practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding
you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher
care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should
leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the
professionals.  No medication, including those available
over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician. 
Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes
only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical
care. 

Can I just say I think this is my favorite suture?  What’s not to love? 
The price is right, you only need supplies you should already have on
hand, and most anyone should be able to use it.
Rather than starting off by showing how you put together the duct tape suture in a straw, I
think it would be better to show how it works first.

So here we have what looks like a red Sharpie marker on Charlotte’s leg,
but it is actually a gaping wound.

The needle and thread simply weave in and out on each side
through the duct tape.  The skin is never touched, or it’s never
supposed to be, at any rate.

After the “suturing” is done, this is how it looks.

The duct tape holds
incredibly well.  Charlotte is still wearing this suture five hours
later as she shoots at the archery range today.  (She had to keep it on
so I would take her to the range today.)  Unfortunately, I did not
“suture” this wound exactly as I should have.  There should actually be
some space between the edges of the duct tape so that the wound below
can be monitored visually.  Also, as the laceration was a couple of
inches long, I should have used two sutures to close it completely.  And
ideally, the wound would then be covered
with Tegaderm so that it can be visually monitored while at the same
time protected from contamination.  So it wasn’t perfect.  But she’s
still alive and healed well, so it all worked out in the end.

When you’re having to DIY a
suture, you do the best you can with what you have.

So how exactly do you put one of these together before an emergency
presents itself?
Begin with two strips of duct tape, about 4-5″ long (they can always be
trimmed later if necessary), two 2″ lengths of yarn, and one smallish
needle (you’re not sewing up a cow) threaded with about 24″ of thread,
doubled over, and knotted at the end.

Not sure why I have two threaded needles in the picture.  Pretend one of them isn’t there.

Lay the yarn across the ends of the strips of duct tape.The yarn
stabilizes the duct tape and prevents the thread from tearing through. 
You could also use toothpicks or twigs, but that doesn’t seem like it
would be very comfortable.

Then fold the end over the yarn and press down.  And fold down 1/16-1/8″
of the opposite end for ease in handling.  Now roll (or fold) from the
end with the yarn to the end of the strip of tape.  Repeat for the other
yarn and strip of tape.

For the “in the straw” portion:

Fold each folded section of duct tape in half lengthwise and sandwich
the threaded needle between them.  Wrap the thread around the duct tape
sections.  Carefully insert them into a jumbo straw (1/2″ diameter).  If
necessary, use the eraser end of a pencil to aid placement.  Seal both
ends of the straw with pliers and a candle flame or lighter.

We keep these in our IFAKs and emergency medical kit that we take
with us traveling.  There’s no point to making them for home use; it
will be easier to just get the supplies out if and when we need them. 
Because you’re not actually suturing somebody up with a needle, you’re
not practicing medicine without a license.  Because no needle is going
in, you don’t need anesthetic to prevent inflicting pain.  There is less
risk of introducing bacteria into a wound than with a proper suture
needle, assuming you have irrigated the wound well, cleaned around the
site well, and aren’t dragging the thread through dirty areas and
contaminating it.  And you won’t be further damaging
tissue and risking more scarring due to a needle penetrating the skin,
unlike what may happen with a suture needle.  The greatest risk is that
the individual getting “sutured” will be allergic to the duct tape
adhesive, which contains latex.  If that’s the case, or may be the case,
you can also try this
using heavy duty medical tape. 

This Youtube shows the general idea of the duct tape suture.

Remember, you saw it here first.

Links to related posts:
Wound Closure Supply Options
Tapes and Wraps
Lacerations
All About Sutures
Suturing the Skin
Plastic Straw Mini Packages
Mini Sewing Kit in a Straw