Q&A # Sam N Ella Q tip dangers!
1,047 views · Published 19 June 2015 · 3:16 · Indexed 12 November 2026
Channel: CarloOllerMD · 2015 · Education
Just a thought, as a nurse we use the sterile Q-tips for packing & probing wounds. We have stopped using the fluffy, cotton end and use the blunt end only. We have had a few cases where the cotton end was badly saturated and actually came off the stick, inside the wound, without it being noticed. The patient then requires a CT to confirm location and eventual surgery to remove the foreign body. In one case, the surgeon estimated the cotton tip had been in the wound for 3 months (therefore delaying healing, increased pain, and recurring infection requiring long term antibiotic use). All this is a greater expense to the health care system, as well as prolonged recovery for the patient. Americans are also raised in a very litigious culture. It may never happen, but our wound care experts and best practice committee have advised us to stop using the cotton tip end for all uses below the epidermis.
