Cuts, grazes and lacerations are quite common and they often happen when we either get hurt or undergo a surgery. These cuts need to be repaired so that the wounds can heel and the body and its parts recover fully in time. This is where sutures are used and they are also called stitches and used in cases we have cuts or wounds of deep nature.

So, sutures are basically sterile and surgical threads used by doctors to repair cuts or lacerations. They are one of the most common tools in surgery where they help to close incisions and surgical wounds. Surgical sutures hold the skin, internal organs and tissues of the human body to help in speedy recovery. That is why they are needed after either an injury, surgery or incision.

In fact, sutures also hold together blood vessels and help in wound closure. They are a vital tool for wound healing as they keep the tissues together till they can bear stress without any support. Clearly, stitches are done to accelerate the pace of healing and offer comfort to those plagued by injury or wounds of surgeries

Kinds of sutures

The times have changed a lot and you can find sutures online without feeling surprised. But yes, before buying them, you have to understand their kinds and types to ensure their utility and right usages.

Based on the properties and various usages, sutures are broadly categorized into two groups –

• Absorbable sutures

• Non-absorbable sutures

It’s never easy to decide which of the two groups is helpful for your cuts or wounds to repair easily. That’s why, there are a few things you need to know, including –

• Out of the two, the absorbable sutures are made in a way to break down in tissues after a specific point of time. They are also made to degrade as the incision or wound heals.

• On the other hand, the non-absorbable sutures don’t get dissolved and they even resist the body’s attempt for the same. They have to be removed by a surgeon after an incision is healed.

• Similarly, doctors generally use absorbable sutures for deep tissues and tissues that heal speedily, such as in the stomach, bowel, or bladder

• However, non-absorbable sutures are used with tissues that heal slowly, such as fascia or tendons, and they also need manual removal post the healing process.

• Absorbable and non-absorbable sutures can either be natural or synthetic.

• The natural sutures are ones in which only natural fibres are used while synthetic sutures are those where only man-made materials are used

Characteristics of high-quality sutures

So, do you plan to buy sutures yet not sure how to get the ones of the highest quality? Well, you should then look for their characteristics from a surgical point of view and then buy them from a reliable source.

Some of their characteristics include –

• Suture material must be strong

• Their strength should be such that they don’t break very easily.

• They should be non-toxic in nature to not cause any negative reactions in the body.

• Hypoallergenic ones are not harmful in any manner

• You also need to check whether they are flexible

• Sutures should be easy to tie and knot on the body

• They must not allow fluids to penetrate the body from outside

• Sutures should be able to resist infections. There are some varieties of anti bacterial sutures available in the market as well.