7 Factors To Consider When Choosing A Practice Suture Pad
Repetition and hands-on practice are crucial for one to become competent in suturing. Thankfully, there’s a range of suture training pads to help medical, and nursing students practice effectively. However, the current market is saturated with substandard suture training materials that fail to offer students the realism required to prepare them adequately for human suturing. To help you avoid buying subpar training tools, this article will discuss the aspects you should consider before choosing a practice suture pad.
Quality of Material
Unless the suture pad is made of high-quality material, it won’t withstand the punctures and incisions that suture training entails. Low-quality pads rip easily, and chunks of the pad will tear out as knots and sutures are pulled tight. Typically, suture pads are made of medical-grade silicone. This material offers the right amount of resistance and tension to hold the pulling.
Number Of Layers
Students might develop poor suturing techniques if they practice on materials that don’t mimic the human tissue. Thus, you should consider the availability of additional layers as some pads come in one or two layers only. While this will mirror the epidermis and dermis, it doesn’t showcase real-life scenarios since there’s no fat beneath the skin tissue. So, when choosing the suture pad, ensure that it includes three layers that mimic skin, muscle, and fat.
The Material Used In The Second And Third Layer
Some suture pads come with multiple layers of silicone, while others are stuffed with foam or plastic-like material. You should avoid such materials as they don’t have the proper facia layers reinforcement. They can also be challenging to make incisions, and that can result in improper technique when practicing, especially for buried sutures. The right suture pad should have a soft feel of the epidermal layer and realism of facia layers and subcutaneous fat beneath.
Built-In Mesh Layer
A practice suture pad with a built-in fabric mesh layer between the skin and fat layers offers more accuracy in practice. Besides providing the same sensation as an actual suturing, the layer acts as multiple reinforcements by preventing rips on the skin layer. Therefore, it improves strength and durability even if the student makes deep wounds suturing.
Pad Reusability
Given that students require innumerable practices, reusability is one of the core tenets of a high-quality suture pad. Hence, you should avoid practice skins that will tear, rip, degrade or chuck after a few suture practices. Look for a suture pad with a material that can handle a minimum of 75 sutures to enhance your suturing experience.
A Variety Of Wound Types
You should choose a suture pad that comes with pre-cut wounds of different types, sizes, and depths. This ensures that your practice is more wound-driven and covers a wide range of real-life scenarios by implementing different suture techniques. It’s also essential to choose a large pad in which you can add more incisions for extra practice.
The Cost
Most students are on a budget, and hence choosing a practice suture pad that is cost-effective is a smart decision. Ultimately, you should consider the cost per suture instead of just checking the initial upfront price. You need to find a pad that can handle over a hundred sutures, is reusable, and is durable.
Consistent and continuous suturing practice helps you become more proficient in dealing with all types of wounds. Thus, it’s vital to choose the highest quality suture pad to meet your needs. Our suture pads are durable and have been formulated and reinforced especially to correspond with real-life tissue layers, making them the most efficient training skins in the market.