Considerations When Using Absorbable Sutures
Considerations When Using Absorbable Sutures
Considerations when using absorbable sutures depends on the wound itself and the type of suture material. Sutures are used in operating rooms and hospitals in general. We will talk about this article.
What is Suturing
Suturing is a procedure that has been practiced for 4000 years. After the wars of the South American Indians, they practiced suturing their people. The ancients took advantage of women who used sharpened bones. This suture material, which has been used for 4000 years and is no longer used. This is indispensable for surgical interventions. With technologically improvments sutures has become very economical.
The incisions are closed with the best and easiest application. The expertize for suture comes from needle and profeesional eyes. Needles, scissors and forceps will be sufficient for the considerations when using absorbable sutures.
Selection of appropriate product materials is the key element in achieving success in dermatological surgery. The decision and the type of suture to be made is the dermatologic surgeons to consider. It is combined with a needle with the latest knotting technology. It has to prevent from forming bumps and having more texture. What do dissolvable stitches look like question has a different answer now comparing to 50 years ago.
Suture Materials
- Suture Needle
There are three separate regions when it comes to surgical needles. These are the tip, the arm and the handle. Needles are not named according to their tips. Reverse sharp needles can be used more safely where the skin is thin and tearable. The body part of the needles (approximately the middle 1/3) is the part held by the profeesional. It can be round, oval or triangular. The last 1/3 of the needles that continue with the thread is a soft and sensitive area. This area should not be held with care.
This needles are in the form of an arc of a circle. For example, a half circle is called ½ (mostly used for internal sutures), a quarter of it is ¼, and if it covers an angle of 135 degrees, they are called 3/8.
- Suture Thread
Threads are simply divided into two large groups;
Absorbable Suture
Non-absorbable Suture
Absorbable sutures, as the name suggests, are absorbed into the tissue. This absorption time varies according to the type of maetrial. Considerations when using absorbable sutures mostly based on the material. Those that are not absorbed cannot be absorbed by the tissue.
Monofilament Sutures
Monofilament sutures contain a single strand, while multifilaments contain multiple strands and are braided. Knots made with multifilament absorbable suture material are stronger and not easily untied. However, the risks of tissue reactions and microbial colonization are higher.
The diameters and tensile strength of the ropes are standardized. Especially their diameters are calculated according to the number 0. The higher the number of zeros, the thinner the rope. There are two different measurement units when calculating suture thickness. One is the American Pharmacopoeia and the other is the European Pharmacopoeia. This units are part of the considerations when using absorbable sutures.
Sutures have a wide range of uses. Sutures can be used in many areas such as gastrointestinal surgery, gynecology, urology, ophthalmic surgery, orthopedics, pediatric surgery, tissue closure intracutaneous, subcutaneous, abdominal wall closure, plastic surgery, pediatric cardiovascular tissues.
What is Absorbable Suture and Where Is It Used
Absorbable sutures are surgical sutures that are absorbed by the body by hydrolysis or enzymatic means and are naturally removed from the body over time. Absorbable sutures vicryl are surgical sutures that are frequently preferred today, which are absorbed by the body by hydrolysis or enzymatically over time and disappear on their own. Thanks to the absorbable suture, the stitches are not removed again. Thanks to these properties, absorbable sutures do not leave any residue on the body.
They retain approximately 65% of their tension on the 14th postoperative day. These informations is motsly shaped by considerations when using absorbable sutures. They are used for subcutaneous soft tissue suturing. It has a multifilament structure with polyglactin structure and maintains its tension for 14-21 days. Those with polydioxanone structure are monofilament and their tension continues for a very long time (about 60-90 days), although the knot security is not very good. It is preferred in tense wound closures where suture tension is desired to be maintained for a long time.
Due to the development of absorbable suture types and the increase in the opportunities they provide, catgut of biological origin is rarely used today. Catguts have been replaced by synthetic polymer suture materials that cause less tissue reaction, last longer, have higher knot reliability and ease of use. Although the use of catguts has decreased, it continues to be used in some surgical operations.
Absorbable Sutures Usage Areas
Absorbable suture is very useful due to its properties. This situation causes the absorbable suture to have a wide usage area. Today, it is possible to find many types of absorbable sutures. They can also be found as multifilament and monofilament. Multifilament is obtained by weaving more than one suture fiber tissue in a braided manner. Monofilament sutures, on the other hand, are sutures consisting of a single string. How long does vicryl take to dissolve is a very different quesiton depending on the person.
The main usage areas of absorbable sutures are as follows;
- Gynecology
- General surgery
- Ophthalmic surgery
- Urology
- Orthopedics
- Tissue closures in pediatric surgery
- Skin closures
- Gastrointestinal surgery
- Ligatures
- Oral and maxillofacial surgery
- Veterinary medicine
- Plastic surgery are some areas when doctors have considerations when using absorbable sutures.