Sutures and Suturing Techniques

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Resident’s Corner Sutures and suturing techniques in skin closure Mohan H. Kudur , Sathish B. Pai, H. Sripathi, Smitha Prabhu INTRODUCTION Even today, there is a search for ideal suture material. Suture materials can be broadly classified as naturally occurring and synthetic.[1] They can be further classified as monofilament or multifilament (braided), dyed or undyed, coated or uncoated. Several parameters, such as tensile strength, breaking strength, elasticity, capillarity and memory are used to describe physical characteristic of sutures.[2] In general, braided sutures are more prone to infection and induce greater degree of tissue reaction. Advantages of braided sutures include ease of handling, low memory and increased knot security. A monofilament suture is a single material. These sutures have decreased tendency of infection, ease of passage through tissue and ease of removal. They possess poor handling characteristics and decreased knot security. CHARACTERISTICS OF AN IDEAL SUTURE Ideal suture material should: 1. Have good handling characteristics 2. Not induce significant tissue reaction 3. Allow secure knots 4. Have adequate tensile strength 5. Not cut through tissue 6. Be sterile 7. Be non-electrolytic 8. Be non-allergenic 9. Cheap CLASSIFICATION OF SUTURE MATERIALS Absorbable Natural: Catgut-plain or chromic Synthetic: Polyglactin (vicryl), polyglycolic acid (dexon) Department of Dermatology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal - 576 104, Udupi Dist, Karnataka, India Address for correspondence: Dr. Mohan H Kudur, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal - 576 104, Udupi Dist, Karnataka, India. E-mail: mohankudur@rediffmail.com DOI: 10.4103/0378-6323.53155 - PMID: ***** Non-absorbable Natural: Silk linen Synthetic: Polyamide (nylon), polyester (dacron), polypropylene (prolene) BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF

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