Dressing they put in wounds (packing)

[Tefal]

Pretty sure superglue came out before Vietnam war, although it was used for medical treatment.

it was originally an attempt to make cheap plastic gun sights in ww2 but it stuck the machinery together so wasn't used.

you get medical super glue though that doesn't produce as much formaldehyde as the general stuff will burn like a mother and inflame the cut.

 

[Efour]

Mmmm boobies

 

[AshD93]

Mmmm boobies

Made of dead skin and air, the only boobs you're gonna get*




*I jest!

 

[currob]

You have to make sure it is packed tightly though with Aquacel.

As the wound heals it pushes the packing out.

Sometimes the wound can heal 'too well' and you get overgranulation in which case you will need to use silver nitrate to get rid of it.

However, at that stage you should be getting the dressing changed in the GP clinic to lessen the risk of any other infection.

BB x

We stopped using silver nitrate years ago, lots of complications if used incorrectly.

As others have said, the packing is used primarily to prevent the top layer of your skin (epi-dermis) from healing over first, thus leaving a cavity beneath which would almost certainly develop infection, particularly so after minor surgery for perianal abcess. The packing also performs other functions such as keeping the wound clean by absorbing dead skin cells and bacteria. Other types of packing contain silver which "suffocates" bacteria. There are different types of silver based packing too. We do not use gauze for packing.

All in all we have a multitude of 15+ different types of wound packing and would choose a particular type according to an assessment of the wound at that time, the type of packing used could also change many times during the healing process too.

Your question is similar to "what sort of car do you get from a garage"

 

[Josh]

Bit of both. It was invented in the 1940s but was used by the USA military in Vietnam as an emergency wound sealant (and it works for that purpose).

Ahhh ok thanks for clearing that up. Always thought it was an urban myth, pretty impressive stuff.

 

[Tone1979]

Gelonet can be used also.

 

[currob]

Gelonet can be used also.

Jelonet cannot be used for packing wounds

 

[Tone1979]

Jelonet cannot be used for packing wounds

I stand corrected.

case in point about medical threads.

Gelonet is used for severe grazes and burns. Well that's what I use it for.

 

[BrightonBelle]

We stopped using silver nitrate years ago, lots of complications if used incorrectly.

Other places still use it - my local GP used Silver nitrate last year on a wound I had.

BB x

 

[Mrjobby]

Had the joy of this about 18 months ago.

You either need someone who cares for you enough to clean unpack and repack your second hole every day or you need to go to the nurse to get it done. Failure to do this properly will result in problems.

Aquacel ag and normal Aquacel where what I used. Also had a saline soltion to wash it out with.

Get yourself a prepaid prescription card otherwise it will bankrupt you (presuming you are employed).

 

[Minstadave]

Other places still use it - my local GP used Silver nitrate last year on a wound I had.

BB x

ENT still use loads, we (paediatric) occasional do for umbilical granulomas.

 

[OpenToSuggestions]

Sorbsan on my pilonidal in 2003/2004.

 

[Minstadave]

Gelonet is used for severe grazes and burns. Well that's what I use it for.

That's the main use for gelobet because it doesn't stick to superficial wounds while they heal. Usually put it between the wound and dressing.

 

[Angilion]

it was originally an attempt to make cheap plastic gun sights in ww2 but it stuck the machinery together so wasn't used.

Oddly, its adhesive properties weren't originally noticed. The inventor didn't check it until after it had dried. Since it wasn't clear enough to make gun sights and there was a war on so he was focusing on that, he put it aside. It was a few years later, after the war, that he went back to it to study it some more and found out about its adhesive properties by unintentionally sticking together some rather expensive optical equipment (he was still interested in it as a potential transparent plastic).

It's surprising how many things have been discovered by people looking for something else. The one that amuses me the most is that the worst-smelling substance known to humanity (thioacetone) was disovered by people looking for a more efficient way to make soap smell nice.

you get medical super glue though that doesn't produce as much formaldehyde as the general stuff will burn like a mother and inflame the cut.

The standard stuff is quite exothermic too, apparently enough to cause damage that way as well as chemically. I've used it on minor cuts and it was fine for that, but it's not really the right tool for the job.

 

[Tefal]

Oddly, its adhesive properties weren't originally noticed. The inventor didn't check it until after it had dried. Since it wasn't clear enough to make gun sights and there was a war on so he was focusing on that, he put it aside. It was a few years later, after the war, that he went back to it to study it some more and found out about its adhesive properties by unintentionally sticking together some rather expensive optical equipment (he was still interested in it as a potential transparent plastic).

It's surprising how many things have been discovered by people looking for something else. The one that amuses me the most is that the worst-smelling substance known to humanity (thioacetone) was disovered by people looking for a more efficient way to make soap smell nice.



The standard stuff is quite exothermic too, apparently enough to cause damage that way as well as chemically. I've used it on minor cuts and it was fine for that, but it's not really the right tool for the job.

Yeah I've used it on cuts too,you can get veteneriy grade stuff as well.

One thing is people think it's a good idea to glue the wound shut straight away really you should be making sure it's totally clean and empty and not still bleeding before you try to close it.

For most things leaving it open till you can be sure it won't be exposed to an environment where it can get infected is best rather than sealing in all the crap and getting an abscess.

Scars worse if you never bother closing it though

 

[Rofflay]

Aquacel is what they used on my abscess. It's most uncomfortable when they did it too! It's to stop the top of the wound healing over and having a hollow under the skin that could promote infection. It's to allow the would to heal from the inside out as it were.

Nice to learn something everyday. The person who said maggots did he see that in Gladiator lol?

If you want a little bit of useless knowledge on that it would be that the Romans did not do that, Infact they used advanced medical tehniques and materials like silver ( hypoallergenic) staples to close wounds. They at first would use stitches but they quickly realized that caused a wound to fester when the staples rotted. Heck they did cautarizing and artery clamping with silver clips too before amputation. They even had opium and stuff too for the operations.

Techniques that were lost up until WW1. Amazing what they knew 2000 years ago eh?

 

[Crowort]

Maggots are still used for dealing with dead tissue in some cases. I'd suggest not watching any the videos of maggot therapy

 

[Bar]

So as a sufferer of perianal abcesses and now fistula the primary packing material is Aquacel, however with the most recent injury Permafoam was also used. Its stiffer and retains its structure more which helps when wounds close over too rapidly.

Also the comment about silver nitrate not being used - I would suggest that it varies by health authority as I have a pack on the shelves in my room along with acqucel, permafoam, mepilex, mefix and plenty of dressing packs. Its also very effective (in my experience) for treating over granulation.

 

[traveyb]

Salt and vinegar crisps, that will eases the pain

 

[Angilion]

Nice to learn something everyday. The person who said maggots did he see that in Gladiator lol?

Maggots are an effective treatment in some cases. It sounds like primitive quackery, but it really works and is used today in some cases. Not just any old maggots, but maggots none the less. They have a very strong preference for eating dead tissue, so if you need to debride dead tissue in a living patient maggots can be an effective part of the treatment. They really are used today, in developed countries with advanced medical facilities.

If you want a little bit of useless knowledge on that it would be that the Romans did not do that, Infact they used advanced medical tehniques and materials like silver ( hypoallergenic) staples to close wounds. They at first would use stitches but they quickly realized that caused a wound to fester when the staples rotted. Heck they did cautarizing and artery clamping with silver clips too before amputation. They even had opium and stuff too for the operations.

Techniques that were lost up until WW1. Amazing what they knew 2000 years ago eh?

They also successfully treated cataracts, successfully performed rudimentary brain surgery to treat head injuries and (unknowingly) used penicillin. Their theory was mostly crap (the four humours and all that rubbish) but their practice often worked due to the practical philosophy of observing what happens and working from that. There are, for example, references to sterilising surgical tools before using them. They didn't know why, but they did observe a reduction in infection rates.

Could you point me at references for the use of staples in preference to stitches? Silver makes sense, partly due to its ancient association with purity and partly due to that practical observation again (silver is an antiseptic of sorts).