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Closing the Gap

Wound Closure for the Emergency Practitioner

  • Techniques
    • Basic Suturing
      • Simple Interrupted Sutures
      • Deep Dermal Sutures
      • Vertical Mattress Sutures
      • Horizontal Mattress Sutures
      • The Corner Stitch
      • Surgeon’s Knot
    • Advanced Suturing
      • Undermining
      • Layered Closure
      • Running Percutaneous Sutures
      • Running Subcuticular Suturing
      • “Dog Ear” Correction
      • The “Three-bite” dog ear correction
      • The Shorthand Vertical Mattress Suture
      • The Running Horizontal Mattress Suture
      • Locked Horizontal Mattress Suture
      • The Inverting Horizontal Mattress Suture
      • The Set-Back Dermal Suture
      • Hypothenar Autografts for Dermal Avulsions
      • V-to-Y Conversion Flaps
    • Alternative Wound Closure
      • Staples
      • Tissue Adhesive Glue
      • Tissue Adhesive Tape
      • Hair Apposition Technique
      • No Closure
    • Special Situations
      • Vascular Injuries, Part I: Basic Principles & Pitfalls
      • Vascular Injuries, Part II: Ligation Techniques
      • Fragile/Thin Skin Technique
      • Parallel Lacerations
    • Anatomic Regions
      • Lacerations around the Eye
      • Lip Lacerations, Part I
      • Lip Lacerations, Part II
      • Tongue Lacerations
      • Ear Lacerations, Part I
      • Ear Lacerations, Part II
      • Nailbed Injuries, Part I
      • NailBed Injuries, Part II
      • Extensor Tendon Lacerations, Part I
      • Extensor Tendon Injuries, Part II
      • Extensor Tendon Lacerations, Part III
  • Wound Blog
    • Lac Repair in the Time of COVID
    • Wound Prep Series: Soap
    • Wound Preparation Series: Gloves
    • Wound Preparation Series: Topical Anesthetics
    • Wound Preparation Series: Injectable Anesthetics
    • Wound Preparation Series: Needles
    • Spider Bites! Part I
    • Spider Bites! Part II
    • Road Rash! Part I
    • Road Rash! Part II
    • Three things you didn’t know about gluing skin
    • Eversion
    • Dog Bite Dogma, Part I
    • Dog Bite Dogma, Part II
    • The Perfect Simple Interrupted Suture
    • Not Your Mama’s Horizontal Mattress
    • Preventable Lacerations: Epipen Auto-Injectors, Part I
    • Epinephrine Autoinjector Injuries: Part II
    • Delayed Primary Closure, Part I
    • Delayed Primary Closure, Part II
    • Stock & Simplify your Suture Cart, Part I
    • Stock & Simplify Your Suture Cart, Part II
    • Extensor Tendon Injuries: PIP & Elson’s Test
    • Achilles Tendon Laceration
    • Subcuticular Suturing Pearls
    • Three things you didn’t know about gluing skin
    • Laceration Aftercare
    • Absorbable Sutures
    • Absorbable Sutures, Revisited
    • Wound Preparation
    • The “Show”
    • The Golden Period
  • Other topics
    • Soft Tissue
      • Felons & Paronychias
      • Incision & Loop Drainage
      • Loop Incision & Drainage, Revisited
      • Ring Tourniquet Syndrome
    • Blocks
      • Field Block of the Ear
      • Infraorbital Nerve Block
      • Mental Nerve Block
      • The Ophthalmic (V1) Nerve Block
      • Digital Blocks
    • Burns
      • Part I: Injury Grading
      • Part II: TBSA Assessment & Burn Apps
      • Part III: Initial management of the minor wound
      • Part IV: Dressings for Outpatient Wounds
      • Part V: Escharotomy
    • Multimedia
      • Nerdnite SF
      • Basic Wound Management Lecture, Part I
      • Basic Wound Management Lecture, Part II
      • Basic Wound Management Lecture, Part III
      • Basic Wound Management Lecture: Part IV
      • Basic Wound Management Lecture, Part V
    • Patient Resources
      • Laceration Aftercare Instructions
      • Suture Removal
      • Abrasion Wound Aftercare Instructions
    • About this site
      • About the Author
      • Credits
      • Disclaimer

Welcome to Closing the Gap!

Welcome to Closing the Gap: an educational site dedicated to improving expertise of both novice and experienced health care practitioners dealing with acute wound care.

This blog features how-to videos on suturing techniques commonly used for acute traumatic lacerations treated in an emergency room, urgent care, or family practice office environment.

Engaging the needle

Techniques

Learn about techniques in emergency wound care, ranging from basic to advanced suturing techniques to alternative wound closure techniques.

Read more Techniques

Wound Blog

Under this subheading, you’ll find archives of blog posts on novel techniques, controversial topics in wound care, and evidence-based practice recommendations (made palatable).

Read more Wound Blog

About this site

The intended audiences of this site are physicians & other acute medical care providers (Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners) who provide acute wound care.  Others with aspirations in the field (students and premeds)  and those who work in related fields (eg EMTs, paramedics) are also welcome audiences. The site is a non-restricted, Free Open Access Medical…

Read more About this site

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Upcoming Presentations

Dr. Lin speaks at the inaugural "Conceptos Costa Rica" Conference in Emergency MedicineMarch 3, 2018
The big day is here.

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