Not everyone likes getting stitches. Or even worse, not everyone is in a situation where you can get stitches easily. Fortunately for both of these people, there might be a suitable alternative: ZipStitch.
Choosing the right medical equipment can be a challenge. When you’re at home, it’s perfectly alright to have a surplus of uncommonly used gear. But when you’re traveling, you can’t pack everything. You have to decide what medical supplies are important enough. One increasingly popular “must-have” is this new, zip tie-like method for closing wounds.
ZipStitch is what they call an invasive suture. To speak simply, two plastic strips stick to the skin, where a zip tie-like feature pulls and holds them together. This allows the would it is surrounding to be held closed. This is a commercially available version of this, which has been used in professional environments for a while now.
It does come with a few restrictions, however. Small in size, they’re only meant for cuts and wounds up to 1 and a half inches long. They also need to be more or less straight cuts, holes or jagged edges will see less effectiveness with the product.
How To Use
- Wash Hands: Don’t want to set an infection.
- Stop Bleeding: Pressure and a gauze pad first. Get the blood to stop before you zip it closed.
- Clean Wound: standard first aid process, really. alcohol wipes and removing dirt/debris.
- Apply ZipStitch Over Wound: Remove the sticky covering and firmly apply to the skin. Remove the paper frame after.
- Tighten: Pull on the little zip ties on the device to tighten. Do a little bit on each strip gradually, do not fully zip a single strip at a time.
- Cover: Wrap in a medical wrap or cover in a large enough adhesive bandage. Do not apply any adhesive sections to the device itself, lest you accidentally remove it when changing the bandage.
ZipStitch can be found on Amazon at $30 for a 10 pack. People can also learn more about the product on their official website. We were not paid in any way by ZipStitch for this article, we just think it’s a cool piece of medical equipment.
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