>>482497>That's kind of my point, if you can't make a sterile field and are not properly TRAINED, you have a lower risk of complications just leaving the damn thing open, I would even be weary of just butterfly stitches for anything more than a scratch. Fun fact: WW2 doctors would actually leave wounds open for a few days before stitching them up to avoid infection.This is true..and leaving wounds open is still done for certain reasons. However suturing is not a sterile process and a sterile field is not required. It is semi-sterile. Scalp wounds for example, are not even close to sterile. I've stapled some lacerations amongst really nasty hair. And no, shaving it isn't typically recommended. However...you are correct that the non-official consensus from most wilderness medicine texts and experts is NOT to close wounds out in the wilderness...but there are exceptions and I refuse to go /out/ without sutures, I've used them before.
As far as the reason for "leaving wounds open" to heal, there is a specific period of time where a wound can be closed by "primary intention" ie with sutures, staples, etc before the healing process begins and the tissue at the edges becomes less viable. Beyond about 5-6 hours, healing by secondary intent- from the bottom of the wound up to the skin- may be better. It is also never acceptable to close any wound that has been heavily contaminated until it is VERY thoroughly irrigated with saline or water. "Thorough" = 10-15 minutes of continuous flow of irrigation solution in and around the wound. Even this isn't enough for certain wounds, and to prevent infection it may be better to heal by "secondary intent."
Secondary intent takes longer and leaves much more of a scar but even worse things can happen if a wound is inappropriately closed by primary intent too late or when there are contaminants inside the wound. I have seen some horribly infected wounds come back after being closed without proper irrigation.
