The aim of suturing and good wound care is to minimise deformity and scarring and to prevent infection. There are some situations where closure by suturing is not appropriate. In these cases the patient should be referred to a surgeon from the appropriate specialty for further advice on management before closure is carried out.<\/p>\r\n
Once you have watched this video, why not attempt the multiple choice quiz to test your knowledge?<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The aim of suturing and good wound care is to minimise deformity and scarring and to prevent infection. There are some situations where closure by suturing is not appropriate. In these cases the patient should be referred to a surgeon from the appropriate specialty for further advice on management before closure is carried out. Once […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tomorrows-clinicians","category-uncategorized","entry"],"youtubeVideo":"510706362\/f730439880","question1":"When would primary closure of a wound by suturing NOT be appropriate?","answers1":"When the wound is contaminated| When there is underlying blood vessel, tendon and nerve injury| When the wound is located in an area of poor blood supply| All of the above.\r\n","correctAnswer1":"3","correctAnswerText1":"Primary closure of a wound in the Emergency Department or on the ward is not appropriate in any of the circumstances above. Refer to local guidelines and seek specialist advice in these cases.","question2":"When a patient presents with a wound, what must you check?","answers2":"Tetanus status| MRSA status| Polio status| MMR status","correctAnswer2":"0","correctAnswerText2":"When taking a history you must check for the tetanus status of the patient. Refer to local guidelines if you are unsure about how to proceed. Of note, patients are routinely swabbed for MRSA on admission to hospital. However, this does not affect the acute management of the wound.","question3":"In a conscious patient just before placing the sutures, what must you check?","answers3":"Blood pressure of the patient| Whether the local anaesthetic infiltration has taken effect| The size of the dressing| Whether the patient has been given antibiotics\r\n","correctAnswerText3":"","correctAnswer3":"1","question4":"What is the most appropriate method of removing the suture needle from the packet?","answers4":"Using your fingers| Using the forceps| Using a needle holder| Using an artery clip.\r\n","correctAnswer4":"2","correctAnswerText4":"The suture needle should NOT be handled directly with your hands.","question5":"Which of these is a polyfilament suture?","answers5":"Monocryl| Vicryl| Ethilon| PDS\r\n","correctAnswer5":"1","correctAnswerText5":"Polyfilament sutures are braided. They are easier to handle but can harbour bacteria.","question6":"How should you hold a needle holder?","answers6":"Using your thumb and little finger| Using your thumb and ring finger| Using your thumb and middle finger| Using your thumb and index finger.\r\n","correctAnswer6":"1","correctAnswerText6":"The needle holder should be held using the distal phalanges of the thumb and the ring finger, with the index and middle fingers along the shaft of the holder for support.","question7":"How far along the needle should you position the needle holder tip?","answers7":"At the tip of the needle| Half way along the curve of the needle| Two thirds of the way from the tip| At the end of the needle","correctAnswer7":"2","correctAnswerText7":"","question8":"Once the sutures have been placed, you should:","answers8":"Ensure that the suture knots lie away from the suture line| Check that the knots are secure| Ensure that there is no excessive bleeding| Excessive bleeding| All of the above.\r\n","correctAnswer8":"3","correctAnswerText8":"","question9":"Where should the needle be disposed?","answers9":"In the sharps the bin| In the clinical waste bin| In the household waste bin| In the confidential waste bin\r\n","correctAnswer9":"0","correctAnswerText9":"The needle like all sharps should ALWAYS be disposed of in the sharps bin to protect yourself and others from needle stick injuries.","question10":"How long should sutures used to close a forearm wound remain for?","answers10":"2 to 5 days| 5 to 7 days| 10 to 14 days| 14 to 20 days.\r\n","correctAnswer10":"2","correctAnswerText10":"Sutures on the trunk and limbs should remain for roughly 10 to 14 days before removal.","question11":"","answers11":"","correctAnswer11":"","correctAnswerText11":"","question12":"","answers12":"","correctAnswer12":"","correctAnswerText12":"","question13":"","answers13":"","correctAnswer13":"","correctAnswerText13":"","question14":"","answers14":"","correctAnswer14":"","correctAnswerText14":"","question15":"","answers15":"","correctAnswer15":"","correctAnswerText15":"","icon":"suturing","parentId":"","recapId":"343","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":842,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions\/842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vapp.rguc.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}