Toni Spina

Tara Shotz
Ashley Smith

Stitchless Stitches Research

Bandaids and other Products

● Materials in a Bandaid
○ The adhesive sheet is usually a woven fabric, plastic(PVC, polyethylene or
polyurethane), or latex strip.
● CloseX and Steri-Strips are other brands of “stitchless” stitches
● Butterfly closures can heal small wounds by holding the skin together

Stitches Research
● Stitches work to hold tissue together while it heals, until the skin, as well as the
tissue, is fused back together.
● Stitches are used when:
○ A cut is deep or gaping
○ Scaring might be an issue
○ Bleeds after 20 min of direct pressure
○ Feels numb or doesn’t proper functionally
● In most cases where stitches must be administered, the area is numbed to
reduce the pain of the patient
● The doctor may remove dead tissue in order to help the wound heal
● The doctor then holds the skin together and loops the thread through it, tying a
knot at the end
● Surgical thread is typically made from nylon or silk, in single filaments or braided
● Stitches typically need to stay in place for a couple of days to a couple of weeks
before being removed
● To remove stitches, the doctor clips an end and pulls them out.

Why Stitchless Stitches

● Adhesive stitches can lessen the chances of scarring and are easier to maintain
● Adhesive stitches are easy to get and reduce time in the ER
● The are not invasive so they can be applied by a nurse or EMT rather than
having to wait for the doctor.
 ● They can be used in emergencies if there's in no hospital close by

Materials for Our Stitchless Stitches

● For long powerful waterproof adhesion you can use a latex-acrylic medical
adhesive such as Pros-Aide by ADM Tronics. Pros-Aide comes in a cream
version and Pros-Aide II which is easier to remove from skin.
● Silk or cotton thread are options

Other stitchless Stitches products

Clozex
Clozex uses butterfly bandages to seal the skin together. Before applying them you have to dry
the wound. Once applied, the top of the Clozex device may have exposed edges that could
irritate overlying tissues. Also it may cause the development of postoperative edema that may
cause skin shearing, skin blistering or loss of adhesion to occur.

Zip Skin Closure

The Zip Skin Closure System is currently on the market, and also serves as an alternative to
stitches. Adhesive is applied to either sides of the wound, and ziptie like devices are used to
hold it together. However, the design can create excess bulk, and rubbing of hard plastic
against the wound could cause pain for the patient.

Steri-Strips
These are used for smaller wounds, and are often used on the face, because they can help
ease scarring. However, they cannot be used on deep wounds and cannot stop serios injury.