Surgery 3 Flashcards
(84 cards)
What affects the choice of suture material?
- The wound
- The body
- The surgeon
What are the requirements of the wound regarding suture choice?
- Maintain adequate strength until purpose is served (e.g. tendon needs support for longer vs mucosa)
- Stimulate minimal tissue reaction
- Must be absorbed at a dependable rate, or become encapsulated without complications
- Must consider: tensile strength of wound, bacterial charge of wound, current or planned therapies for the wound
What are the requirements of the body regarding suture choice?
- Must be non-electrolytic
- Non-capillary
- Non-allergenic
- Non-carcinogenic
What are the requirements of the surgeon regarding suture choice?
- Must be easy to use
- Minimal tissue drag
- Good knot security
- Inexpensive
- Easily available
- Easily sterilised without alteration
What is tensile strength?
Breaking strength per unit area
What is suture memory?
The tendency to retain is original configuration, is not a good handling characteristic and will not tie good knots
What is tissue drag or chatter?
Lack of smoothness or friction whilst passing through tissue
What are the recommended and possible suture materials for skin?
- Recommended: Monofilament non-absorbable materials e.g. Monosol, surgipro
- Possible: absorbable, Polysorb (braided) or Biosyn (monofilament)
What are the recommended and possible suture materials for muscle?
- Recommended: absorbable braided e.g. Polysorb
- Possible: absorbable monofilament Biosyn
What are the recommended, possible and contraindicated suture materials for bladder, uterus and digestive tract?
- Recommended: absorbable monofilament Biosyn, PDS
- Possible: absorbable braided (polysorb)
- Contraindicated: non-absorbable monofilament monosol
What are the recommended and possible suture materials for kidney and liver?
- Rec: absorbable mono Biosyn
- Poss: absorbable braided Polysorb
What are the possible suture materials for hernias?
- Absorbable braided Polysorb
- Non-absorbable braided (e.g. surgidac)
- Non-absorbable mono e.g. Surgipro
What are the recommended and possible suture materials for tendons?
- Non absorbable
- Rec: Braided e.g. surgidac, mono e.g. surgipro
- Poss: mono e.g. monosol
What are the recommended and possible suture materials for the articular capsule?
- Rec: non-absorbable braided e.g. surgidac
- Poss: non-absorbable mono e.g. surgipro
What is the recommended suture material for vascular surgery?
Non-absorbable monofilament e.g. surgipro
What are the recommended, possible and contraindicated suture materials for contaminated tissue?
- Rec: non-absorbable mono e.g. surgipro
- Poss: non-absorbable mono e.g. monosol
- Contra: non-absorbable braided e.g. surgidac
What suture material can be used with drains?
Non-absorbable monofilament e.g. surgipro
What suture material is recommended for surgery of the oral cavity and procedures where prolonged support is not needed?
- Absorbable monofilament
- e.g. Caprosyn
How is ischaemia due to sutures avoided?
- Sufficiently spaced suture bites
- Tightened without excess
- As little dead space as possible
When are surgeon’s knots required?
- When the wound is under lateral tension
- Prevents knot coming undone between the first and second throw due to increased friction
- There is no difference in stability of the final knot, only the stability of the first throw is altered
What affects the number of throws required on a suture?
- The material used
- the tissue the sutures are being placed in
- e.g. materials with higher memory typically need more throws than those with poor memory (except polypropylene)
What affects the knot security of a suture?
The surface frictional characteristics of the material (mono vs multifilament)
When might slip knots be used?
When typing a ligature deep in a cavity, but must be locked properly into a square knot
Name the common interrupted patterns for skin closure
- Simple interrupted
- Cruciate mattress
- Horizontal mattress
- Vertical mattress