Suture Needle: Know about wound stitching

Hello Readers! Imagine a world where the cuts never healed, bones remained fractured, and a surgery became a terrific project without a solution.  Thankfully, we live in a world where suture needles are available.It is a small surgical needle that is used to close most wound types. It allows the healing tissue to recover sufficiently to keep the wound closed till it gets absorbed or removed.

The time it takes for the suture depends on the tissue type:

• From Day I to Day XV: Muscle, subcutaneous tissue or skin
• From Weeks to Months: Fascia or tendon
• Months to Never: Vascular prosthesis

This blog post will explain suture material, suture needle size, and the components of the surgical suture needle.

The Past, The Present and The Future:

• Ancient origins: Sutures have been available since the Stone Age. In the past, humans tended to use bone needles and plant fibers to stitch wounds.
• The Present Era:  From silk and catgut to modern synthetic materials like nylon and polypropylene, suture needles have come a long way offering surgeons a wider range of options for different procedures and patient needs.
• Innovations of Future: Dissolvable sutures, self healing sutures,and now robotic needles are some exciting developments to revolutionize wound closure in the future.

Classification of Suture Needles:

To classify the sutures as mainly absorbable or non-absorbable materials. They are further sub-classified into synthetic or natural sutures and monofilament or multifilament sutures.

Classification of Absorbable vs Non Absorbabale

Absorbable

Synthetic: Monocryl, vicryl, PDS

Natural: Collagens

Non Absorbable

Synthetic: Ethilon Prolene

Natural: Surgical cotton, Surgical silk, Surgical steel

The uniform tensile strength of the suture needs to hold the wound for the required time for healing and then absorbed. The suture should be predictable, easy to handle, produce minimal reaction and knot securely

Difference between Absorbable and Non absorbable Sutures

Natural vs. Synthetic: The suture can be further categorized by its raw origin.

Natural: The sutures are made from natural fibers. These kinds are less frequently used as they tend to provoke a greater tissue reaction. But on the other hand, suture silk is used to regularly secure of surgical drains

Synthetic:  These are manmade material. They tend to be more predictable than the natural suture. They tend to be more predictable than natural suture ie the loss of tensile strength and absorption.

Suture Size

To understand the suture size in easy terms. Learn the principle that the more the size of the suture, the smaller the diameter. To explain, 7-O suture is 4-0 suture. where the diameter of the suture will affect its handling properties and the tensile strength.

The Components of Surgical Needle:

The surgical needle allows the placement of suture within the tissue carrying material through minimal residual trauma.

A surgical needle consists of :

• The swagged end that connects the needle to the suture
• The needle body, or shaft, is the region around the needle holder. Needle bodies can be round, cutting, or reverse cutting.
• The needlepoint acts to pierce the tissue, beginning at the maximal point of the body and running to the end of the needle, which can be either sharp or blunt. Source: (Wikipedia)

Common FAQ’s:

Que: How do I hold the needle driver for suture?

Ans: You can refer to the video

Conclusion: Suture Needles are the powerful symbol of stitching. While this small surgical tool play a critical role in mending my body stich by stitch.

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