When the Dermabond comes off...
I cut my thumb this past Saturday -- slicing off a bit of the pad of the thumb and leaving no skin to stitch back together. I went to the ER, where it took two nurses an hour or so and a tourniquet to finally slow the bleeding to the point that Dermabond could be applied (so much blood from one little thumb!).
On Monday the Dermabond seal broke a bit and I had a small amount of bleeding Monday and Tuesday, but since then all bleeding has stopped. The thumb looks great -- absolutely no redness, swelling, signs of infection, etc.
My question is this: what now? The ER doc advised I follow up with my primary care Dr within 2 to 4 days, but with work, etc., that hasn't been an option. The Dermabond is still on, but it is beginning to show signs of coming off. Do I need to get some reapplied? If it does come off, will my thumb heal if I keep it very carefully covered and dry, or is the risk of infection too high at that point?
I am an otherwise perfectly healthy adult with no diseases, conditions or long-term medications. Here are pics of the wound from Sunday morning (~16 hours post injury, with Dermabond) Sun am and a current photo (as of Thursday evening, ~5 days post injury) Thurs pm
Thank you for any advice!
Posted Apr 15, 2016, 1:05 AM UTC