Didn't get any responses from the H&F board, so I thought I would be adventurous and try my luck here.

I sliced off the end of my thumb, and the doc used a Surgicel dressing to give the blood something to clot to. It's now time to change out the bandages, and I'm concerned removing the Surgicel is going to pull off everything that is keeping it from continuing to bleed. Is Surgicel the stuff that dissolves and doesn't need to be removed, or am I thinking of something else?

No idea.

However, a pro of the whole situation is that you now look more like Megan Fox.

health and money - just trust your joos

leave it alone...it will come off on its own. Apply a clean dressing over the surgicel...large bandaid is okay if it will stay on.

we use it alot in the cardiac surgery arena and i know they just leave it in there. but that's more 'internal' than a thumb.

The doc just laid Surgicel over the end of the thumb. There wasn't anything to sew up. I'm guessing if it's good enough to stay in a patient's chest, it's probably good enough to stay on my thumb. Either that or pop some vicodin and start pulling.

You are not supposed to reach into the disposal when it is turned on.

Leave it on. I didn't see a lot of external use of sugicel either but eventually the wound will exclude the surgicel as long as it is outside the two opposing layers of tissue. I would just lay a clean dressing over it per the previous poster and use a clean warm slightly moist to tidy up the area.

Sidenote we recently had a pt who for the second time in his life decided that running his hand through a table saw was in the job description so post 3 full digit reattachments he got to sit and stair at leaches stuck to his fingers to increase blood flow.