Learn About the Different Types of Suture Needles
Suture needles are specialized medical equipment that covers tissue sutures. They carry material through wounds and leave a minimal residue.
Suture needles are made to be rigid and flexible at the same time, which means they can bend and resist distortion. They're also slim and sharp enough to prevent trauma and penetrate with little to no trouble.
Stability is of utmost importance for accuracy's sake. Also, the quality of material dictates if a suture needle can do its job well in the hands of an experienced individual.
Surgical needles come in different types and are made up of these parts:
*The needlepoint can easily pierce through tissue and runs at the maximal point until the end. Depending on the use, it can be blunt or sharp.
Blunt surgical needles are mostly used to penetrate fascia and muscle. Its characteristic makes it so that blood infection risks are minimized.
Sharp surgical needles can pierce skin and tissue easily with little trauma. They're mostly for preventing leakage.
*The end is swaged and acts as the connection to the suture. The shaft or body can be reverse cutting, cutting, round or curved.
Reverse Cutting Needles
A reverse cutting needle has a sharp end on the convex side. The curvature is also convex and is made to reduce cutting on the wrong side.
Reverse surgical needles are mainly used for fascia, ligament and tendon work. They're good for procedures on subcuticular tissues and tendon and are less likely to cut through tissue. Furthermore, they are reinforced and tougher than round and cutting needles.
Cutting Needles
Cutting suture needles have a very sharp edge and a triangle-shaped cross-section. They work very similar to scalpels and can cut through tissue with ease.
Aside from the tip, the edges are also sharp. Its application is mostly for skin sutures. It's also one of the most commonly used suture needles as it's used for skin, ligament and cavity work.
Round-Bodied Needles
Round body suture needles are characterized by a circular cross-section or conical in shape. The rounded aspect allows the needle to pass through tissue with minimal resistance.
This body type is best for deep sutures as making it pass through skin or fascia. The best example of a round body application is for kidney and liver work.
Curved Needles
Curved needles are highly used in surgery work and similar procedures. Generally, curved surgical needles shine in conditions where there are confined spaces- their curve allows them to bypass space restrictions and access the tissue more readily than others. As a rule, the more curved a needle the more efficient it is in terms of use of space.
*Suture needles can also vary by shape. In proportion with the curvature, surgical needles can be one fourth, half, three eights or five eights, among others.
1/4 curvature surgical needles are commonly used to hold vascular tissue, fascia, skin and eye, while 5/8 curvature needles are widely utilized in the urogenital tract, oral cavity and pelvis work. Aside from the curvature, the needle length may vary and it depends on how much access one has to the suture area.