Ever tried to teach your spouse to suture?

[bky3c]

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I keep lac repair materials at home and recently used them on my husband... and it occurred to me that it would be really nice if he (a completely non-medical person) could learn to suture so that he could return the favor if I ever end up with a lac on one hand or some other place I can't fix myself. Just to save the inconvenience of going to an UC or ED, especially if we're traveling. (Even at home, we moved out of state after I FIREd, so I don't know anyone here who could get me in a back door for a quick lac repair.) I've taught students and residents to suture, but never a layperson. He's not squeamish, so I think it could work. Just wondering if anyone has done it and how it went. Does it only seem easy to me because I've done it for decades? I know all of us struggled when we first learned, but it seems like a trained monkey could at least do a simple linear lac.

 

[throway134]

I keep lac repair materials at home and recently used them on my husband... and it occurred to me that it would be really nice if he (a completely non-medical person) could learn to suture so that he could return the favor if I ever end up with a lac on one hand or some other place I can't fix myself. Just to save the inconvenience of going to an UC or ED, especially if we're traveling. (Even at home, we moved out of state after I FIREd, so I don't know anyone here who could get me in a back door for a quick lac repair.) I've taught students and residents to suture, but never a layperson. He's not squeamish, so I think it could work. Just wondering if anyone has done it and how it went. Does it only seem easy to me because I've done it for decades? I know all of us struggled when we first learned, but it seems like a trained monkey could at least do a simple linear lac.

If he can hold the tools and has you to direct him I see no reason why not. Simple interrupted sutures can be learned in an afternoon, and you could always walk him through a vertical mattress or whatever if needed

The difficulty with any surgical technique is often not really the technique it’s when to use it, which technique to use, and maybe most importantly when not to (e.g. cat bite, high risk cosmetic area or nearby anatomical hazard).

 

[Apollyon]

Oranges are cheap. You can practice suturing to your heart's content.

 

[DocEspana]

Oranges are cheap. You can practice suturing to your heart's content.

pig feet (or any other skin-on cuts) are less cheap, but taste delicious after you get the ethilon out.

protip: you can probably get it out after cooking, but that is somewhat more complicated.

 

[emergentmd]

I will take door #1 and go to the ER or UC than have my non medical spouse fumble through trying put it back in the most rare chances.

 

[Mount Asclepius]

Become proficient at one hand tying if not already. It’s possible to self-suture your own hand laceration. It’s also helpful if your spouse can assist, but either way it’s manageable (although not easy) on your own. Also skip the dig block or anesthetic. Hurts worse than sutures. Speaking from personal experience.

 

[DocEspana]

Become proficient at one hand tying if not already. It’s possible to self-suture your own hand laceration. It’s also helpful if your spouse can assist, but either way it’s manageable (although not easy) on your own. Also skip the dig block or anesthetic. Hurts worse than sutures. Speaking from personal experience.

Be a real man. Use the disposable cautery stick

 

[Saddleshoes]

I never gave this idea any thought until now...
My wife would be better at suturing than me! She is a fantastic seamstress and the transfer from cloth to tissue would be easy for her.

 

[BoardingDoc]

I gave myself a finger pad avulsion with a vegetable peeler once while I was making cocktail garnishes. I had dermabond at home and just needed to tourniquet the finger to get the bleeding to stop long enough to get the glue on.

My wife was my assistant for that. She almost vomited on me and became near-syncopal multiple times. Teaching her to suture is unfortunately not an option in my case.

 

[Tiger26]

I'd argue that most wounds don't "need" suturing. Sure, maybe to control bleeding but that can almost always be done with adequate direct pressure (i.e. real direct pressure that 99% of people don't actually do).

Most wounds I see are so miniminal that suturing them is really just reducing the scar from a few mm to maybe 1 mm. I'd much rather have a non-stick dressing and some coban along with maybe some dermabond than teaching someone to suture.

In contrast, for me as a patient, the wound that truly needs suturing isn't the wound I want someone doing for the first time.

One of my favorite ED things has become seeing a wound and going "OMG, we should definitely get you a band-aid for that"

 

[Janders]

I once stood up into a low pipe and gave myself a 3cm scalp lac. It was up high at the vertex and I could not visualize it. I didn’t have a stapler. I did have stacks of suture material. I had a toddler and a baby asleep. It was bleeding like stink. My ER was a 30min drive away.

I managed to anesthetize it myself with lidocaine and epi by feel.

I couldn’t suture it blindly with my hair in the way.

I tried to teach my non medical wife and she did passably, but kept getting loose knots or air knots and since I couldn’t actively watch her (before say IPads with face time) due to location it was very hard to teach / coach.

She got a little squeamish after driving the needle into my skull a couple times (I didn’t mind. I used a lot of lido).

Ended up getting a medical buddy that was off to come over and finished the sutures.

 

[dchristismi]

My dermatologist is about to whack two dysplastic nevi off my back in the coming weeks. I would really prefer to close as I have seen her work on my husband... but I can't get to them, so I've actually given thought to this recently. Or maybe she just whipped them out because he's a guy and "doesn't care," but I know that people only judge the outside. Or maybe just I do. And man, these were sloppy sutures.

Husband is a former medic, now procedural IR/cath lab RN, and I'd totally trust him to close, even though I don't think he's ever done it before. Hell, I'd probably try it with a mirror because my running locking sutures are so much prettier and I learned a bunch of tricks as a 4th year from a facial plastics guy. We usually travel with dermabond just in case.

 

[Apollyon]

I once stood up into a low pipe and gave myself a 3cm scalp lac. It was up high at the vertex and I could not visualize it. I didn’t have a stapler. I did have stacks of suture material. I had a toddler and a baby asleep. It was bleeding like stink. My ER was a 30min drive away.

I managed to anesthetize it myself with lidocaine and epi by feel.

I couldn’t suture it blindly with my hair in the way.

I tried to teach my non medical wife and she did passably, but kept getting loose knots or air knots and since I couldn’t actively watch her (before say IPads with face time) due to location it was very hard to teach / coach.

She got a little squeamish after driving the needle into my skull a couple times (I didn’t mind. I used a lot of lido).

Ended up getting a medical buddy that was off to come over and finished the sutures.

Maybe you shoulda just gone to your ED! Might have been more efficient/saved time.

 

[Mount Asclepius]

I once stood up into a low pipe and gave myself a 3cm scalp lac. It was up high at the vertex and I could not visualize it. I didn’t have a stapler. I did have stacks of suture material. I had a toddler and a baby asleep. It was bleeding like stink. My ER was a 30min drive away.

I managed to anesthetize it myself with lidocaine and epi by feel.

I couldn’t suture it blindly with my hair in the way.

I tried to teach my non medical wife and she did passably, but kept getting loose knots or air knots and since I couldn’t actively watch her (before say IPads with face time) due to location it was very hard to teach / coach.

She got a little squeamish after driving the needle into my skull a couple times (I didn’t mind. I used a lot of lido).

Ended up getting a medical buddy that was off to come over and finished the sutures.

I love your commitment to trying to solve the problem yourself given your knowledge and skill set despite far less than ideal circumstances. It’s not the expectation or absolutely necessary, but is doable. Resilience.

 

[bky3c]

I never gave this idea any thought until now...
My wife would be better at suturing than me! She is a fantastic seamstress and the transfer from cloth to tissue would be easy for her.

I'd like to have your wife's skills! People occasionally ask me if I know how to sew, and my answer is, "Only skin"... which is awfully creepy outside the context of a hospital.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

I've had to sew up my own leg; pretibial gash with a big gap. Wife is a RN, figured she could at least inject the lidocaine.... nope. I was on my own.

 

[Janders]

I love your commitment to trying to solve the problem yourself given your knowledge and skill set despite far less than ideal circumstances. It’s not the expectation or absolutely necessary, but is doable. Resilience.

Also the power of not wanting to wake up a newborn and a toddler (I’m not sure I could hold gauze on my head and drive one handed by myself for 30+min lol )