Have you heard about surgical sutures? Whenever you experience any injury, your tissues open apart. A suture is a medical device that is used to sew the tissues together and close the wound. The tissues are held together until the wound is properly closed and healed. The material that is used in suturing is gut, thread, or wire. Various types and thicknesses of sutures are present. The types of sutures are used depending on the type of surgery. A surgical suture must be strong enough to hold the tissues together in place. The sutures should not allow anybody’s fluids to pass through them due to the risk of causing infections. Sutures can be classified into a variety of ways.
Classification of sutures
1. Absorbable and non-absorbable sutures
Sutures can be classified into two types- absorbable that will break down on their own in the body after a while and non-absorbable that must be removed manually after some time. The type of suture that is used depends on the type of surgery.
- Absorbable sutures: Polyglycolic Acid sutures, Polyglactin 910, Catgut, Poliglecaprone 25, and Polydioxanone sutures.
- Non-absorbable sutures: Polypropylene sutures, nylon (polyamide), Polyester, PVDF, silk, and stainless steel sutures.
2. Monofilament, multifilament and barb sutures
Sutures can be classified based on material. Multifilament sutures are braided sutures and barb sutures are knotless monofilament sutures.
- Monofilament sutures: Polypropylene sutures, Catgut, Nylon, PVDF, Stainless steel, Poliglecaprone, and Polydioxanone sutures.
- Multifilament sutures: PGA sutures, Polyglactin 910, silk and polyester sutures.
- Barb sutures: Polydioxanone, Poliglecaprone, and polypropylene suture materials.
3. Classification based on size
The surgical sutures are present in several sizes based on the diameter of the thread. The diameter of the suture affects its tensile strength and also its handling properties.
4. Natural and synthetic sutures
On the basis of raw material, surgical sutures can be natural or synthetic. Natural sutures are silk and catgut sutures, whereas all other types of sutures are synthetic sutures.
5. Coated and uncoated sutures
Surgical sutures are also classified based on the coatings. Some sutures are available with coatings on their surface to enhance their properties. The coating is usually applied on braided sutures. Various coating materials used are chromium salt, silicon, wax, PTFE, polycaprolactone, calcium stearate. For further protection, sutures are coated with antimicrobial or antibacterial coatings.
- Coated sutures: PGA sutures, Catgut Chromic, Polyglactin 910, silk and polyester sutures, braided or twisted nylon, Poliglecaprone, and Polydioxanone sutures.
- Un-coated sutures include Polypropylene sutures, Nylon, PVDF, Stainless steel, and PTFE sutures.
An ideal suture should allow the tissue to recover sufficiently. Surgeons should be familiar with and well aware of all the techniques and methods of suturing. The choice of material depends on various factors such as infection risk, type of tissue, and also, in some cases, personal preferences. Various suture companies in India are trusted and provide quality surgical sutures. These certified companies engage in the manufacturing and exporting of surgical sutures. You can also buy surgical sutures online through various websites at affordable prices but make sure that these companies are trusted and certified. Keep in mind to read reviews of that particular company.