Wound Suturing

A kitchen cut, a fall off a bike, a wound from a tool at work: if the edges are open and it will not stop bleeding, it needs stitches, and the sooner the better. At Clínica Hispana Nueva Salud La Porte we suture wounds with no appointment, under local anesthesia and in Spanish or English, 7 days a week, at a fraction of what an emergency room costs.

When a wound needs stitches

• The edges pull apart and you can see fat or tissue underneath
• It keeps bleeding after 10 minutes of firm pressure
• It is longer than half an inch, especially on the face, hands or joints
• It is in an area that moves a lot (knee, elbow, fingers) and would open with movement
• It is a clean cut from a knife, glass or sheet metal

Wounds should be closed within the first 6 to 8 hours; on the face that can stretch to 24 hours. After that, the risk of infection rises and stitching may no longer be possible. That is why coming in the same day matters.

What the procedure is like

1. We examine the wound, how much it bleeds and whether tendons or nerves are damaged, and ask how it happened and when your last tetanus shot was
2. We apply local anesthesia: that is the only poke you feel
3. We wash the wound thoroughly and remove dirt, glass or debris
4. We close it with stitches; in children or small facial wounds we sometimes use skin glue or adhesive strips, no needle
5. We cover it with a dressing and explain the aftercare

The whole thing takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on size. If your last tetanus dose was more than 5 years ago and the wound is dirty, or more than 10 years ago in any case, we give you the tetanus booster during the same visit. If the wound was from a bite or is heavily contaminated, we also prescribe an antibiotic, available at our pharmacy.

Care at home

Keep the dressing dry and clean for the first 24 to 48 hours; after that you can shower letting water run over the wound, without soaking or scrubbing it. Pat dry and change the dressing once a day. Do not apply alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or home remedies. Stay out of pools, the bay and bathtubs until the stitches are out. Come in or call us if you notice spreading redness, warmth, pus, fever or pain that gets worse instead of better.

Stitch removal

You come back to have them removed depending on the area: face 5 to 7 days, scalp and trunk 7 to 10 days, arms and legs 10 to 14 days, and joints up to 14 days. Removal takes a few minutes and is included. Afterward, use sunscreen on the scar for several months so it fades better.

Work injuries

If you were hurt at work, tell us when you arrive: we document the injury and give you a medical note for your employer. When you return to your duties, protect the area with a proper dressing.

Stitches in La Porte, no appointment and no insurance

Find our medical center at 9606 Spencer Hwy Ste D, La Porte, TX 77571, on Spencer Hwy, open Monday to Saturday from 9 AM to 9 PM and Sunday from 9 AM to 7 PM. No health insurance needed; the procedure has a flat price we tell you before starting. We serve families and workers from La Porte, Deer Park, Pasadena, Shoreacres, Morgan's Point and the greater Houston area. If the wound is very deep, is spurting blood, bone is exposed or the person fainted, call 911.