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Chapter 32 - Understanding Sutures and Skin Closure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2022

Daniel Rodger
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer in Perioperative Practice, London South Bank University
Kevin Henshaw
Affiliation:
Associate Head of Allied Health Professions, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Paul Rawling
Affiliation:
Senior Lecturer in Perioperative Practice, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk
Scott Miller
Affiliation:
Consultant Anaesthetist, St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust
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Summary

This chapter explores the different kinds of sutures available, as well as some additional methods of skin closure. Surgical sutures are a medical device used to hold body tissue together following injury or surgery. There is evidence of suture use going back thousands of years. The application of a suture generally involves using a needle with an attached length of suture thread. Suture thread can be made from numerous materials. The original sutures were made from biological materials, such as catgut, cotton, and silk. Today, most sutures are made of synthetic polymer fibers, with silk being the only biological material still in use.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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References

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