1 - Minor Surgery Flashcards
Cutting needles preferred for:
Skin
Tapered/round needles preferred for:
Delicate tissues inside the body; blood vessels, bowel
What is a swaged needle?
Suture-pre-attached
What are double armed needles for?
To anastomose blood vessels / bowel
Ends in -cryl =
Absorbable
Prolene sutures =
Not absorbable
Sizes of sutures
Higher the number, smaller the thread
i.e. 3-0 = 0.001, 2-0 = 0.01
Absorbable-type suture examples
Vicryl
Gut
Monocryl
Non-absorbable suture types
Ethibond
Proline
Braided sutures are better at:
Holding a knot
More pliable
Negative aspect of braided suture
Bacteria may live in the braids
Describe monofilament
Smooth and stiff
Harder to tie and hold a knot with poor technique
Less instances of wound infection
What are needle drivers?
Instrument designed for suturing
NOT a hemostat
How to load the suture?
Between 50 and 75% past the tip perpendicular to the driver
If you use the rings, only insert to the first joint
Adsons forceps are used for:
Outside the body
Some have a “rat tooth” for better traction (can cause skin/tissue damage)
Debakeys forceps are used for:
Inside the body
How to hold forceps?
Like a pencil (not a baby spoon)
Place counter-traction on the skin to make driving the needle easier
What is extrinsic tension
Forces which pull wounds apart
Angle of insertion of needle?
Perpendicular to the skin, with the wrist pronated
How is the needle driven through the skin?
By turning the wrist, NOT by pushing the needle through
For basic laceration closure, start how far from the wound edge?
1cm
How should wound edges look?
Everted - if not, either try again or change technique