Sutures and Aseptic Technique Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering absorbable natural and synthetic sutures, their tissue sources, tensile strength retention, and absorption timelines based on the lecture notes.

Absorbable Sutures

Sutures used for deep body parts and soft tissues that heal rapidly, which get digested in the tissue during the process of healing.

Natural Absorbable Sutures

Sutures gotten from a natural source, such as surgical gut.

Surgical Gut

Natural absorbable sutures derived from the submucosa of the sheep intestine or serosa of the cow intestine, which are digested by the body and absorbed by enzymatic degradation so that no permanent foreign body remains.

Plain Gut

A fast-absorbed surgical gut available in sizes 3–6/0 that loses tensil strength within 5–10 days and is digested completely within 70 days; used only externally in the skin, particularly for facial surgery.

Chromic Surgical Suture (Chromic Catgut)

Surgical gut immersed in Chromium Salt Solution to resist fast absorption and support the wound for 10–14 days, dissolving slowly with complete absorption within 90 days; available in sizes 2–6/0 and used to ligate large vessels where non-absorbable sutures are not recommended.

Synthetic Absorbable Suture

Sutures derived from polymer or polyester that can last up to 21 days in tissues, are used for all tissues, and are absorbed through inflammation reaction, hydrolysis, and enzymatic degradation.

Polyglycolic Acid [PGA]

A synthetic absorbable suture that is small in diameter, loses about 45% of its tensil strength within 14 days, and is reabsorbed almost completely by 30 days.

Polydioxanone Suture [PDS]

A synthetic absorbable suture suitable for use in the presence of infection and in geriatric patients where healing is slow; absorption begins at 90 days and is complete within 6 months.

Polyglactin 910 (Vicryl)

A synthetic absorbable suture that maintains a longer tensil strength than surgical gut, has a slow absorption rate with complete absorption in 60–90 days, comes in sizes 2–9.0, and is used for all tissues and ophthalmic surgery.