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18 terms

Sutures and needles

definitions, description
A strand of material used to ligate blood vessels or approximate tissue
Size: relating to suture
The diameter of the suture material. Numerical- the number of 0's increases - diameter gets smaller.
Tensile Strength of suture
The amount of tension or pull that a suture will withstand when knotted before it breaks
Monofilament suture
Suture that is made of a single strand of material
Natural Fibers
Fibers made from raw materials
Synthetic Fibers
Man-made fibers. Fibers are often made with a combination of products.
Natural Absorbable Suture
Suture that is absorbed by the body over a period of time. The suture is dissolved and broken down by body enzymes
Synthetic Absorbable Suture
Suture that breaks down by hydrolysis
Non-absorbable suture
Suture that is not dissolved by the body enzymes or hydrolyzed body tissue. Once sewn in, it is considered permanent.
Breaking down complex molecules by the chemical addition of water
Strand of material used to tie off a blood vessel or organ
Identify the parts of a needle
Needle point, needle body, eye
swaged needle
An eyeless needle where needle and suture are joined together as one continuous unit
Free needle
No suture attached to needle-"Eyed Needle" - suture must be threaded through the eye of the needle; as in the French eye needle or Keith needle
Single suture packet
Contains one singular needle in packet
Multi suture packets MS
Multiple needles in one packet-labelled as "MS"-contain from 3 to 10 swaged sutures
difference between 5-0 suture/#5 suture
5-0 suture is smaller diameter than #5 suture
Define USP
United States Pharmacopeia--specifies diameter range for suture materials