Wound closure is a complex task. Only an experienced medical professional can do it in a right manner. Closing wounds or surgical incisions is something that involves care, dexterity and the right tools. Doctors often use a thread or suture to do wound closure, and the procedure of closing a wound with sutures is known as stitches. Clearly, we can see how important a role sutures play in wound management and we’d better knowing more about it for sure. They can be either absorbable or non-absorbable in nature where the former can be broken down by the body while the latter cannot not be.
More so, sutures of the absorbable variety get dissolved completely in the body and they don’t require any kind of removal. They are thus made from processed animal products to not pose any risks of infection. In some cases, synthetic polymer materials are also used to make sutures of absorbable nature. On the other hand, sutures of non-absorbable variety are sometimes preferred for their ability to being resistant to body chemicals. So, they won’t dissolve that early and can add a great value to the healing process. They are used a lot for healing purposes and also for apposition (tissue wound closure of long-term nature).
Some of common materials used in making sutures of non-absorbable variety include silk, nylon and prolene. Doctors often use gut sutures in cases where they close tissue needing minimal support and that heals in a quick manner. On the other hand, vicryl sutures are used for the lower layers of skin while PDS is deemed fit for stitches of muscle and fascia tissue. Similarly, nylon sutures are best fit for closure of skin or for surgical incisions. For muscle tissue or blood vessels, prolene sutures are generally used by doctors. And silk sutures are best when the need is to tie off blood vessels.
More so, it’s the prerogative of the physician to select the material and technique for wound closure and whether to use staples or stitch with sutures will be decided by them. Sutures are indeed easier to remove than staples and the removal is often less complicated as well. On the other hand, to remove the stiches, doctors have to first cut the suture close to the knot and then pull the knot out in a slow manner. And yes, it does not take more than one medical professional to do the stiches while the same is not true with staples.
More so, it’s important to take some care to avoid wound breakdown as which closure method is selected will also matter in the long run. The focus should be on having minimal scarring and allow the incision to heal perfectly. You should never ask the doctor to remove the stitches or surgical sutures unless the wound has healed completely. Similarly, scar is resulted in cases where stitches are not removed from the incision within a stipulated time period. So, it’s always advisable to trust a knowledgeable healthcare professional and add value to your wound care.