Do you want to perfect your suture techniques? It certainly comes with many advantages. For starters, learning to become a suturing expert is beneficial for your education, career, and future patients.
- Your education – Earn high marks with your instructors and advance to the next level in your nursing or other medical training.
- Your career – Perfecting your suture techniques can also help you become a highly trained and valued asset on your future medical team.
- Your patients – Expertly reduce the risk of bleeding and infection, support healthy wound healing, and minimize scarring for your future patients’ peace of mind.
In the next section, we’ll highlight several suture techniques that, once mastered, can help take your education, career, and patient satisfaction to the next level.
11 Suture Techniques To Practice
The following are many different suture techniques to learn and practice for skill mastery.
Simple Suture Techniques
- Simple interrupted – The most common skin closure method characterized by separate, unconnected stitches
- Simple interrupted buried – Mimics the simple interrupted technique but features buried knots for sensitive areas, such as the tongue
- Subcutaneous – Often used to eliminate dead space in the depth of the wound with absorbable sutures
- Figure-of-8 – A time-saving suture technique that combines subcutaneous and surface skin suture for long incisions
Running/Continuous Suture Techniques
- Running/continuous – A single strand of suture material runs the length of a wound, often in a zigzag pattern with a tie at the end
- Running/continuous interlocking – Often used for soft tissue skin closures where the needle passes through the previous suture’s loop, locking it into place
- Sub-cuticular – Applied under the epidermis using absorbable sutures or non-absorbable sutures with external knots for easy removal
- Purse string – Closes round wounds or openings using a running stitch that draws closed like a purse or bag
Mattress Suture Techniques
- Horizontal mattress sutures – Effectively evert wound edges and create moderate tension to prevent hemostasis and promote wound healing
- Vertical mattress sutures – Excellent for wound edge eversion and approximation on thin or thick skin using two bites
- Pulley sutures – A modified vertical mattress stitch using tension using a pulley-like action to close wound tissue
Mastering the art and science of suturing hinges heavily on your comfort level and proficiency with different suture techniques like these. What is the secret to mastery? Keep reading to find out.
How to Perfect Your Suture Techniques
The key to perfecting your suture techniques is summed up in one word: Practice. However, not all practice is created equal. When your education, career, and future patients’ wellbeing is on the line, ensure your practice time as realistic as possible.
So, how can you create a realistic experience without actually practicing on real flesh? The answer is in your tissue pad.
When practicing and perfecting different suture techniques, ensure your tissue pad looks and responds like a human body. Our expertly formulated Basic Skin Inserts and Advanced Skin Inserts realistically mimic tissue layers to amplify the educational value – and help you become a suturing rockstar. Go for the Basic Tissue Insert to practice suture techniques on the epidermis, dermis, fat, muscle layers, or opt for the Advanced Tissue Insert for more practice area and the addition of the subcuticular layer. Either way, a realistic tissue pad is your ticket to confidence and success when it comes time for the real thing.
Browse our website or contact our responsive team to learn more about our USA-made models for realistic practice.