Table of Contents
How do you suture a cruciate incision?
Place the needle holders over the incision, and wrap the long end of the suture material around them twice. Grasp the short end of the suture material near the free end. Pull it towards yourself and through the loop around the needle holders. Pull evenly with both hands to maintain an even tension.
Which suture pattern is best for tension in the wound?
For this suture to be most effective, a square should be created with the corners of the suture. This suture is used for tension relief and is stronger and quicker than simple interrupted sutures, as more of the wound is closed with each suture placed (Raffel, 2014) (Figure 8).
Where do you put a vertical mattress suture?
The vertical mattress suture is commonly used in body sites where the wound edges tend to invert, such as the posterior neck or wounds that occur on a concave surface. Some authors believe that a properly placed vertical mattress suture everts wound edges better than any other suture technique.
What is the mattress suture technique best used for?
The horizontal mattress suture is an everting suture technique that spreads tension along a wound edge. This technique is commonly used for pulling wound edges together over a distance, or as the initial suture to anchor two wound edges (holding sutures).
What is a cruciate suture pattern?
The cruciate (or cross-mattress) pattern involves taking two bites across from one another as in the simple interrupted pattern but rather than tying a knot, two more bites are made to continue along the suture line. The stitch is then knotted, thus forming a crossing pattern.
What is a cruciate suture pattern used for?
It may be used alone in the context of small wounds under minimal to no tension, such as those formed by a punch biopsy or a traumatic laceration. It may also be used as a secondary layer to aid in the approximation of the epidermis when the dermis has been closed using a dermal or other deep suturing technique.
When should you use a vertical mattress?
Vertical mattress sutures are particularly useful in wounds under tension. They also help to evert wound edges in situations where the skin is prone to naturally inverting into the wound. The vertical mattress stitch has one deep throw and one superficial throw (directly above and parallel) to evert the skin edges.
What is a cruciate suture?
When would you use a horizontal mattress suture?
The horizontal mattress suture is useful for wounds under high tension because it provides strength and wound eversion. This suture may also be used as a stay stitch for temporary approximation of wound edges, allowing placement of simple interrupted or subcuticular stitches.
How far apart should sutures be?
Suture Spacing The distance between sutures should be roughly ½ the length of the individual sutures. Place the first suture in the center of the wound if approximation will be difficult, continuing by closing the distance to the wound edges by ½ to minimize tension forces on the tissue wall.