>>692006I've told this story before but might as well again.
>Me, 3 friends>First night camping by the parking lot before hiking out in AM>Friend cut finger on an axe unpacking>I am an MD, and we had 2 PAs on the trip as well (not inc friend)>Inspect wound, pretty deep, worthy of closure if possible>Nearest urgent care is 2ish hours away, it is Friday night, probably not even open>Have some 3-0 prolene, irrigation fluid, bandages, etc>Decided to suture it closed>Close it in the car >Everything went better than expected>Good remainder of the tripLearning to suture is worthwhile imo as long as you know what you should close and shouldn't. It is a complicated decision and can make a big difference. Healing open wounds by secondary intention is a huge pain in the ass and takes forever. On the other hand closing wounds inappropriately can significantly worsen the chances of infection and poor outcomes.
Good article worth reading: "They Had Me In Stitches" - case of failed conservative management of a traumatic wound sustained in a wilderness setting
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24418453