Is this your symptom?
- Suture, staple or stitches questions
- Skin glue (Dermabond) is also covered
When Sutures (Stitches) are Needed for Cuts
- Any cut that is split open or gaping needs the edges of the wound to be brought together. This can be done with sutures, staples, paper stitches or glue.
- Cuts longer than ½ inch (12 mm) often need sutures.
- On the face, cuts longer than ¼ inch (6 mm) often need to be seen. They often need to be closed with sutures or skin glue.
- Any open wound that may need sutures should be seen as soon as possible. Ideally, they should be checked and closed within 6 hours. Reason: to prevent wound infections and to help start healing.
- Wounds that are left gaping will take longer to heal. They are more likely to get infected and leave you with a scar. There is no cutoff time, however, for treating open wounds.
When Sutures (Stitches) Should be Removed
- Stitches and staples are used to keep wounds together during healing.
- They need to be removed within 4-14 days.
- The removal date depends on the location of the stitches or staples.
- Removal should not be delayed. Reason: the suture or staples will leave skin marks.
Wounds That Re-Open After Closure
- Sutures that come out too early cause concern.
- If the wound has reopened, call your doctor now. General guidelines for re-suturing or re-gluing are listed below:
- Face Cuts. If a face wound has re-opened, call your doctor now. The cut may need to be re-glued or re-stitched. It does not matter how long it's been since sutures (or glue) were placed.
- Body Cuts and It's Been Less Than 48 Hours. If the wound is anywhere other than the face, call your doctor now. The cut may need restitched (or glued) if gaping open. This is sometimes done if suturing was less than 48 hours ago.
- Body Cuts and It's Been More Than 48 Hours. Call your doctor now for advice. After 48 hours, re-suturing is rarely done (except on the face). After 48 hours, the sutured wound can be re-closed with tape.
- Cut Is Closed, but suture has come out early. The wound should heal fine without any more treatment, but your doctor may advise reinforcing paper sutures for a few more days. Check with your doctor within the next 24 hours and protect the wound from further injury while you wait.
When to Call for Suture or Staple Questions
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
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Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
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Self Care at Home
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Go to ER Now
- Large surgical wound that's starting to open up
- Bleeding that won't stop after 10 minutes of direct pressure
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Severe pain in or around the wound
- Stitch (or staple) came out early and wound has opened up
- Wound looks infected (spreading redness, increasing pain, swelling or pus)
- Wound starts to bleed
- Fever or chills; feeling hot or shivery
- You feel weak or very sick
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Suture came out early but wound is still closed
- Stitch or staple removal is overdue
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Stitched or stapled wound with no other problems
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
