How To Apply Butterfly Stitches

Posted by Susana   

Most weekends our children's best friends stay the night. Their friends are all from one family and they have become like family to us. Tonight one of the youngest, just 4 years old, was sitting at the table (as were all of the children.) My husband was clowning around making all the kids laugh. This little girl laughed so hard that she fell off her chair, face first onto the floor. The poor girl ended up with a fairly deep, bleeding gash that was compounded by a swelling knot on her forehead.

Her mother was called and she came bearing a first aid kit. (Which is a testament of the fact that we must compile our own kit!) My husband and the mother discussed the wound and decided the best thing for it was for him to apply a butterfly stitch. (The little girl's father wasn't present as he is in the military stationed out-of-state.)

They decided this because it wasn't bleeding profusely. It was a straight, clean cut that was not too severe. It appeared as though it would heal nicely without stitches (which are costly, traumatic, and time consuming.) My husband has cut the butterfly out of regular band-aids before, but tonight he used medical tape to close the wound, then he applied a band-aid over the top of that to protect it.

Before closing the wound, it is best to clean it with soap and water, and/or hydrogen peroxide. Burns are typically treated with Silver sulphadiazine as this solution contains silver, which has antibacterial/antimicrobial properties. Silver nitrate was commonly used in babies eyes after birth as protection from infection. Therefore, Collodial silver, or even better, The New Silver Solution can be used to disinfect wounds.

Directions for applying butterfly (from en0talone.com)
Always put strips across a cut rather than lengthways.

Use adhesive tape, cut notches into the tape in the middle, two on each side about 15mm apart. Fold the two rectangles inwards to produce a piece of tape with a non-sticky centre. This part will be over the cut.

Place on end of the tape over the skin next to the cut. Then pull the other end to close the wound tightly.

Apply clean dressings at least once a day.

Butterfly should remain for 5-7 days.

 

It is very important information to know how to handle wounds and other injuries, especially out in the country when you are far from a hospital and there are plenty of ways to get hurt. After this episode I decided to google "butterfly stitches" and I found some helpful information. I'd like to share those links with you.

Butterfly stitch photo using strip adhesive (Steristrip)
StanfordWellsphere.com instructions for How to apply butterfly stitches
Post-OilSurvival.com first aid instructions with drawings
First aid for self injury
First Aid Only brand butterfly bandages
About.com Do I need Stitches?

The entire link can be found at:  http://susanshomespunlife.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-appy-butterfly-stitches.html

 

Now there are alternatives, too, like steristrips, sutures, staples, compresses, chemicals like sliver nitrates to cautherize, heat to cautherize, and of course band aids and gauze (change the dressing once a day). And do consider always using some kind of antiseptic to stop any infections. Bottom line, people are going to get hurt, and you can help them even during hard times. As to skin pain, consider things like lidocaine in the tube. And last, some soap and water and rest also goes a long way towards helping heal the wound.

 

Last, we are truly all different. Said another way, all methods don't work the same on all of us, so if one fails or does poorly, consider trying another method. Here locally around 1/5 of my first tries fail or do poorly, and I have to try another method in order to do better.