Alternative to sutures

[Jonas]

If you know how to suture and are qualified to do so, you may find yourself out of suture material at some point. As long as you have curved needles, a needle holder, a mosquito hemostat, and a pair of Mayo scissors however, you can use other things for suture material. First choice would be fine single-strand nylon fish line, boiled to sterilize. Second choice would be silk (not cotton) thread, again boiled to sterilize. If neither of those are available, use an old Civil War surgeon's trick: cut some long hairs from a horse's tail, wash, boil for ten minutes, and store in a bottle of alcohol until needed. Obviously, these alternatives are for skin sutures only, not for sub-cutaneous suturing.

The trick in suturing a wound is not knowing how to suture as much as it is knowing WHEN to suture!