Suture Materials Notes

Suture patterns and materials

1. Introduction

Tensile strength is the breaking strength of a suture material per unit area.

Memory it a suture material’s tendency to retain original configuration.

‘Chatter’ and tissue drag is the lack or smoothness or amount of friction whilst passing through tissue.

Tissues respond to the implantation of sutures as they do to other foreign material. This can cause an inflammatory response.

Capillarity if the ability of a suture material to wick, allowing fluid to move along the suture.

Suture material may be monofilament or multifilament.

2. Monofilament

The advantages of monofilament is that is has smooth surface, which reduces tissue trauma and tissue drag. It has no bacterial harbouring ability and no capillarity.

Disadvantages are poor handling, the memory of the material and poor knot security due to less friction.

Monofilament suture materials include nylon, polypropylene, steel and polyglycolic acid.

3. Multifilament

Multifilament has good tensile strength, is soft and pliable, provides good knot security and is good to handle.

Disadvantages are that it can harbour bacteria, has capillary and ‘wicking’ action and causes tissue trauma and drag.

Multifilament suture materials include catgut, nylon, silk, steel and polyglycolic acid.

4. Absorbable versus non-absorbable

Absorbable or soluble sutures undergo degradation and a rapid loss of tensile strength within 60 days. This can be via proteolysis and phagocytosis, or via hydrolysis. They are intended primarily for use in closing internal organs and tissues that do not require long term support.

Absorbable suture materials include catgut, polyglycolic acid, polyglactin 910, polydioxanone, polygelcaprone and polyglyconate.

Non-absorbable sutures are either retained permanently in the body, or if they are eventually...

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