Are poly suture products appropriate for general soft tissue repair? What specialized types of surgical procedures are they also used for?

Poly suture products are considered to be indicated for use in a wide variety of different surgical procedures. They are ideal for general soft tissue approximation and ligation because of the materials, reduced fraying and resistance to any type of materials. Since it is so strong and durable and causes minimal risk to tissue inflammation is also commonly used in abdominal wall wound repair, particularly with cesarean section procedures, hernia repair and cardiovascular surgery and repair. It is also considered to be the suture of choice for many plastic surgery procedures as well as for surgical procedures involving neurological tissue. There are also indications for use in ophthalmic surgery, making this a very versatile suture.

Since it is available either a blue color that is easy to locate for stitch removal or a clear option that is ideal for stitches that need to remain unseen, the surgeon has several choices in products, uses and options for these sutures.

What are the options of needled packaging with any type of poly suture?

Different suture manufacturers may market different types of needled packaging options with poly sutures. Common options include needles with a taper point, soft cut, reverse cut, and precision point. The size of the needle and the type of needle will determine the size of the suture that comes needled and sterilized within the sealed package. Various companies may offer a range of lengths of the suture or they may have one standardize length that can be modified once the package is opened.
For specialized surgical procedures or for easily customized sutures it is also possible to purchase the poly suture material on ligating reels. This does require needling at the time of use but allows maximum flexibility in needle and suture selection.

Are there any drawbacks or possible disadvantages to the use of poly suture products in general surgical or specialized procedures?

Surgeons that use these suture products can appreciate that there are several advantages to use. It is very durable once in place and is very low in generating any type of reactivity by the surrounding tissue. It is also highly uniform in diameter which is common in monofilament types of sutures. With minimal memory and a high level of resistant to fraying this suture material is considered by many surgeons that specialize in cardiovascular surgery as well as plastic surgery to be the best suture option. Plastic surgeons also prefer this suture since it can be tied with very flat knots, perfect for preventing irritation in sensitive skin areas.

However, because of the nature of the polypropylene structure there is a slightly increased risk of fragility with the suture under some types of procedures. It tends to have less flexibility than nylon sutures and may be more difficult to use because of this slightly increased rigidity.