ZipStitch - Close Wounds Without Stitches
- Exactmed - 12-Pack Sutures Thread with Needle - $9.99
- 3M Steri-Strip Reinforced Skin Closures (60) - $8.69
- CELOX Traumatic Wound First Aid Packets (6) - $14.95
- Complete Suture Practice Kit for Suture Training - $45.95
- The Survival Doctor's Complete Handbook: What to Do When Help is NOT on the Way - $13.59
If I had a gaping laceration on my leg, and someone handed me a ZipStitch kit and told me my options were to treat myself for free, or go to the hospital and spend $500 on stitches, I'm pretty sure I'd pick...passing out at the sight of my own gushing blood and insides, and hoping a steady hand nearby was interested in playing doctor and saving me $500.
Maybe your stomach for medical trauma is more stalwart than mine though. Maybe you'd definitely like to keep a ZipStitch pack tucked into your first aid or survival kit, either to save on exorbitant ER costs, or to have with you when you're off in no-man's land, and getting to an ER isn't possible.
According to ZipStitch, this suturing alternative is "the only surgical-quality wound closure device available without a prescription." Each "zipper" consists of 4 stacked closures secured inside a translucent bandage-y thing with an adhesive backing. You can place a single ZipStitch over an open wound up to 1-1/2" long. Once in place, pull on the eye handle ends of each closure to tighten it, and pull your skin hole shut. If your laceration is larger than 1-1/2", apply multiple ZipStitches.
In addition to the closure tool, ZipStitch kits come with gauze to help stop bleeding, an alcohol wipe for wound cleaning, and a bandage to cover that nasty no one wants to see up once you've got it stitched shut.
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