Wound Healing and Sutures - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering wound healing concepts, suture materials and techniques, and basic MIS instrumentation.

Wound complications

Problems that can occur during wound healing (e.g., infection, dehiscence, hematoma, edema) that slow or prevent proper healing.

Wound healing

The physiological process of tissue repair after injury, including hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling.

Wound classification

A system for categorizing wounds by contamination level and severity (e.g., clean, clean-contaminated, contaminated, dirty/infected).

Clean wound

A wound with minimal contamination, typically made under sterile conditions and not involving infection.

Surgical site infection

An infection that occurs at the site of a surgical incision, presenting with redness, warmth, swelling, pain, or drainage.

Proliferative phase

Second phase of wound healing during which fibroblasts produce collagen and extracellular matrix, forming granulation tissue.

Contaminated wound

A wound with significant contamination or a breach of sterile technique, increasing infection risk.

Evisceration

Protrusion of internal organs through a wound or incision.

Suture material

The thread used to close wounds; available as absorbable or nonabsorbable with various textures.

Polypropylene

A non-absorbable, monofilament suture material.

Conventional cutting needle

A needle with a cutting edge used for tough tissues; often with a triangular cross-section.

Interrupted

A suturing technique using individual stitches, each tied separately.

Suture packaging

Packaging for sutures; surgical gut sutures are commonly packaged in alcohol.

Remodeling

The final phase of wound healing where collagen is reorganized and tissue gains tensile strength.

Tapered needle

A round-bodied needle that narrows to a sharp point; used for suturing soft tissue.

Bolsters

Tubing or cushions placed with retention sutures to prevent them from cutting into the skin.

Purse-string suture

A continuous circular suture used to close a lumen or circular opening (e.g., base of appendix after removal).

Site drainage

Excess inflammation and serous discharge from a wound, which can indicate infection.

Monofilament suture

A single-filament suture that typically has less tissue drag and lower infection risk; may be coiled or stretched during packaging.

Clamp tie

A free-tie suture attached to the end of a clamp, used to ligate vessels or close lumens.

Inert

A suture that causes little or no tissue reaction (low bioactivity).

Running (continuous) suture

A single thread used along the length of a wound, anchored at one end and passed along the wound without tying individual stitches.

Double-armed suture

A suture with a needle at both ends for easier tissue handling.

Load the needle holder

Place the needle-suture assembly into the needle holder before removing it from the package.

Swaged suture-needle combination

A pre-attached needle and suture designed to discharge easily from the instrument.

Handedness in needle technique

The surgeon’s dominant hand (right or left) influences how the needle holder is positioned and used.

Approximation

The act of bringing tissue edges together to close a wound.

Sharp suture scissors

Scissors with sharp blades; cut sutures using the tips and cut where you can clearly see what you are cutting.

Capillary action

The ability of suture material to absorb fluids (capillarity).

Veress needle

A needle used to establish pneumoperitoneum by insufflating CO2 in laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery.