TECHNIQUE

TECHNIQUE

The suturing of an incision or wound needs to take into consid - eration the site and tissues involved. There is no ideal wound closure technique that would be appropriate for all situations, and the ideal suture has yet to be produced, although many of the desired characteristics are listed in Summary box 7.6 . Summary box 7.6 - Suture material: desired characteristics /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF - /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF Clean wounds with a good blood supply heal by primary intention and so closure simply requires accurate apposition of the wound edges. However, if a wound is left open, it heals by secondary intention through the formation of granulation tissue, which is tissue composed of capillaries, fibroblasts and inflammatory cells. Wound contraction and epithelialisation assist in ultimate healing, but the process may take several weeks or months. Delayed primary closure or tertiary inten - tion is utilised when there is a high probability of the wound being infected. The wound is left open for a few days and if the infective process is resolved then the wound is closed to heal by primary intention. Skin g rafting is another form of tertiary intention healing. - Summary box 7.7 Types of wound healing - /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF

Easy to handle Secure knotting ability Predictable behaviour in Inexpensive tissues Minimal tissue reaction Predictable tensile strength Non-capillary Sterile Non-allergenic Glides through tissues easily Non-carcinogenic Primary intention – clean wounds that are often sutured together Secondary intention – healthy granulation tissue /f_i lling up an open wound Tertiary intention – delayed closure or skin grafting

TECHNIQUE

The suturing of an incision or wound needs to take into consid - eration the site and tissues involved. There is no ideal wound closure technique that would be appropriate for all situations, and the ideal suture has yet to be produced, although many of the desired characteristics are listed in Summary box 7.6 . Summary box 7.6 - Suture material: desired characteristics /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF - /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF Clean wounds with a good blood supply heal by primary intention and so closure simply requires accurate apposition of the wound edges. However, if a wound is left open, it heals by secondary intention through the formation of granulation tissue, which is tissue composed of capillaries, fibroblasts and inflammatory cells. Wound contraction and epithelialisation assist in ultimate healing, but the process may take several weeks or months. Delayed primary closure or tertiary inten - tion is utilised when there is a high probability of the wound being infected. The wound is left open for a few days and if the infective process is resolved then the wound is closed to heal by primary intention. Skin g rafting is another form of tertiary intention healing. - Summary box 7.7 Types of wound healing - /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF

Easy to handle Secure knotting ability Predictable behaviour in Inexpensive tissues Minimal tissue reaction Predictable tensile strength Non-capillary Sterile Non-allergenic Glides through tissues easily Non-carcinogenic Primary intention – clean wounds that are often sutured together Secondary intention – healthy granulation tissue /f_i lling up an open wound Tertiary intention – delayed closure or skin grafting

TECHNIQUE

The suturing of an incision or wound needs to take into consid - eration the site and tissues involved. There is no ideal wound closure technique that would be appropriate for all situations, and the ideal suture has yet to be produced, although many of the desired characteristics are listed in Summary box 7.6 . Summary box 7.6 - Suture material: desired characteristics /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF - /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF Clean wounds with a good blood supply heal by primary intention and so closure simply requires accurate apposition of the wound edges. However, if a wound is left open, it heals by secondary intention through the formation of granulation tissue, which is tissue composed of capillaries, fibroblasts and inflammatory cells. Wound contraction and epithelialisation assist in ultimate healing, but the process may take several weeks or months. Delayed primary closure or tertiary inten - tion is utilised when there is a high probability of the wound being infected. The wound is left open for a few days and if the infective process is resolved then the wound is closed to heal by primary intention. Skin g rafting is another form of tertiary intention healing. - Summary box 7.7 Types of wound healing - /uni25CF /uni25CF /uni25CF

Easy to handle Secure knotting ability Predictable behaviour in Inexpensive tissues Minimal tissue reaction Predictable tensile strength Non-capillary Sterile Non-allergenic Glides through tissues easily Non-carcinogenic Primary intention – clean wounds that are often sutured together Secondary intention – healthy granulation tissue /f_i lling up an open wound Tertiary intention – delayed closure or skin grafting