Sutures and Stitches Flashcards
What is a suture?
Any strand of material used to ligate
blood vessels or to approximate tissues
How are sutures sized?
By diameter; stated as a number of O’s:
the higher the number of O’s, the smaller
the diameter (e.g., 2-O suture has a
larger diameter than 5-O suture)
Which is thicker, 1-O suture
or 3-O suture?
1-O suture (pronounced “one oh”)
What are the two most basic
suture types?
Absorbable and nonabsorbable
What is an absorbable
suture?
Suture that is completely broken down
by the body (dissolving suture)
What is a nonabsorbable
suture
Suture is not broken down (permanent
suture)
What are “catgut” sutures
made of?
Purified collagen fibers from the intestines
of healthy cows or sheep (sorry, no cats)
What are the two types of
gut sutures?
Plain and chromic
What is the difference
between plain and chromic
gut?
Chromic gut is treated with chromium salts
(chromium trioxide), which results in more
collagen crosslinks, making the suture more
resistant to breakdown by the body
What is it? Vicryl
Absorbable, braided, multifilamentous
copolymer of lactide and glycoside
How long does it retain its
strength? vicryl
60% at 2 weeks, 8% at 4 weeks
Should you ever use
PURPLE-colored Vicryl®
for skin closure?
NO—it may cause purple tattooing
pds What is it?
Absorbable, monofilament polymer of
polydioxanone (absorbable fishing line)
How long does it maintain
its tensile strength?
70% to 74% at 2 weeks, 50% to 58% at
4 weeks, 25% to 41% at 6 weeks
How long does it take to
complete absorption?
180 days (6 months)
What is silk?
Braided protein filaments spun by the
silkworm larva; known as a nonabsorbable
suture