Take Home Points
- Don’t make bite width to small – look at the curvature of the needle – start the bite at half the curvature of the needle
- Don’t pull too tight – this will pucker the skin and lead to poor healing due to ischemia at the wound borders
- Laceration repairs are not sterile! Does not lower infection rates
- Pressure irrigation DOES decrease infection rates – irrigation is the solution to pollution
- Avoid lido with epinephrine for tips of fingers, nose, ears, and genitals
- Splint or apply bulky dressing to large lacs that cross joints
- Very long lacs when cosmesis doesn’t matter – consider using staples
- Avoid sun exposure after laceration repair – leads to worsening scar formation
REBEL Core Cast – Basics of EM – Lacerations
Click here for Direct Download of the Podcast
Co-Host
Hyunjoo Lee
Clinical Assistant Professor, Assistant Program Director (Stony Brook EM Residency)
Co-Director of EM Clerkship/Sub-Internship (Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University)
Stony Brook Medicine; Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University
City/State: Stony Brook, NY
Twitter: @emdocjuju
Post Peer Reviewed By: Anand Swaminathan, MD (Twitter: @EMSwami)
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