Closure of Minor Lacerations

Exceptional Laceration Closure for Your Child Using the Most Advanced Techniques

At Kids 1st Urgent Care, we provide expert treatment for lacerations using a range of techniques tailored to the specific needs of your child. Our approach is designed to ensure effective wound closure while prioritizing comfort and minimizing scarring. Most of our laceration closure techniques are painless, making the experience as stress-free as possible for your child.

Our goal is to provide the best possible care for your child’s laceration, ensuring effective and comfortable treatment. By adhering to clinical pathways from leading children's hospitals and utilizing our providers' extensive expertise, we deliver the most appropriate closure methods to promote optimal healing and minimize scarring.

Here’s how we utilize various methods for laceration repair:

Dermabond (Medical Adhesive)

• Description: Dermabond is a specialized medical adhesive used for closing minor to moderate lacerations. It acts as a protective barrier that helps the skin heal while reducing the risk of infection.
• Application: The laceration is first prepared using topical anesthesia and then cleaned, ensuring minimal discomfort. Dermabond is then applied in a thin layer over the wound, which holds the edges together and provides a protective seal.
• Benefits: Dermabond is quick to apply and does not require removal. It typically results in minimal scarring and is ideal for superficial wounds or wounds in areas with less tension. Most importantly, this is a needleless procedure meant to reduce your child's anxiety due to the fear of getting "a shot".

Steri-Strips (Adhesive Strips)

1. Description: Steri-strips are small, adhesive strips used to approximate the edges of a laceration and promote natural healing. They are a non-invasive option for wound closure and are often combined with Dermabond.
2. Application: The wound is first prepared using topical anesthesia and then cleaned, ensuring minimal discomfort. Steri-strips are applied across the wound to hold the edges together. This technique is commonly used for minor to moderate lacerations where the skin edges can be easily approximated
3. ‍Benefits: Steri-strips are easy to apply, comfortable for the patient, and often used in conjunction with other methods to support healing. They are effective for small to medium-sized lacerations.

Stryker Zip Skin Closure Device

1. Description: The Stryker Zip Skin Closure Device is a modern wound closure system that uses a zip-like mechanism to bring together the edges of a laceration. It is especially useful for complex or high-tension wounds.
2. Application: The laceration is first prepared using topical anesthesia and then cleaned, ensuring minimal discomfort. The Zip Skin Closure Device is applied to align and close the wound with a zip mechanism. This device securely holds the skin edges together while providing flexibility and ease of use.
3. Benefits: The Stryker Zip Skin Closure Device is ideal for wounds requiring precise and durable closure. It is quick to apply and remove and is designed to minimize discomfort and scarring.

Staples

1. Description: Staples are used for closing larger and/or deeper lacerations. They provide strong and durable closure, particularly in areas with higher tension or where precise alignment of skin edges is required. Kids 1st Urgent Care only uses staples to close scalp lacerations.
2. Application: The wound is first prepared using topical anesthesia and then cleaned, ensuring minimal discomfort. The wound is then prepared using injectable anesthesia to numb the area. Staples are then placed across the laceration using a stapler device, which quickly secures the edges of the wound.
3. Benefits: Staples offer a robust closure for larger wounds and are often used in areas where more traditional sutures might be less practical. The staples are generally removed within 7-14 days, depending on the location and healing progress.

Comprehensive Care Approach

• Assessment and Preparation: Our providers conduct a thorough assessment of the laceration to determine the most appropriate closure method. We follow clinical pathways from the top children's hospitals in the country to guide our decision-making, ensuring the best approach for your child's specific injury.
• Comfort and Safety: Most of our laceration closure techniques are painless. For Dermabond, Steri-Strips, and Stryker Zip Skin Closure Device, topical anesthesia is used to numb the area, ensuring the cleaning process and application are as comfortable as possible. For staple closure, both topical and injectable anesthesia are employed to ensure complete numbness and comfort during the procedure.
• Child Life Specialists: We offer the support of Child Life Specialists for all procedures. These specialists help your child understand the process and effectively cope with their intervention, making the experience less stressful and more manageable.
• Provider Expertise: Our team at Kids 1st Urgent Care brings extensive experience in laceration closures, with many providers having years of experience in pediatric plastic surgery, pediatric trauma surgery, and pediatric emergency departments. This expertise ensures that your child receives the highest quality care.
• Follow-Up Care: We provide detailed instructions for wound care including cleaning, watching for signs of infection, and when to call back for concerning symptoms. Follow-up visits may be scheduled to monitor the healing process and remove any non-dissolvable materials.
  

Child-Friendly Environment

Understanding that medical treatments can be stressful for children, all of our providers have been trained by our Child Life Specialists on how to approach your child in a friendly and compassionate manner. We strive to make the experience as stress-free as possible, with a child-centered environment and a caring staff that helps ease any anxiety.

"Kids 1st Urgent Care stands as a beacon of medical excellence, seamlessly blending top-quality care with comfort, compassion, and convenience creating a concierge-like experience for children and their parents."