Home » What are non-dissolvable sutures?
Non-dissolvable sutures are made of materials which are not metabolized by the body, and are used therefore either on skin wound closure, where the sutures can be removed after a few weeks, or in some inner tissues in which absorbable sutures are not adequate. Nondissolvable or nonresorbable sutures are either permanently implanted in the body or removed after the wound is healed. This is the case, for example, in the heart and in blood vessels, whose rhythmic movement requires a suture which stays longer than three weeks, to give the wound enough time to close. Other organs, like the bladder, contain fluids which make absorbable sutures disappear in only a few days, too early for the wound to heal. Inflammation caused by the foreign protein in some absorbable sutures can amplify scarring, so if other types of suture are less antigenic (i.e., do not provoke as much of an immune response) it would represent a way to reduce scarring.
There are several materials used for non dissolvable sutures. The most common is a natural fibre, silk, which undergoes a special manufacturing process to make it adequate for its use in surgery. Other sutures are made of artificial fibres, like polypropylene, polyester or nylon; these may or may not have coatings to enhance their performance characteristics. Finally, stainless steel wires are commonly used in orthopaedic surgery and for sternal closure in cardiac surgery.