Article No. 18

How would you rate this article?

Awful

Poor

Average

Good

Perfect

Create a Notebook

You currently don't have any notebooks.

If you want to save this article into a notebook, you can create one now.

Flag/Report
Article No. 18

Instructions:

What is the issue?

Let us know in a brief paragraph or sentence why you are flagging this article. Here are some other issues we, at CodeHealth, would like to know about:

  • Spam or misleading content
  • Violation of privacy
  • Unnecessary sexual content
  • Unnecessary violent content
  • Hateful or abusive content
  • Promotion of harmful acts

Report:

Flagged articles and users are reviewed withing 24 - 48 hours upon submission of a report. The report will be reviewed to determine whether the article and it's author (user) has violated CodeHealth's Terms of Use and/or Community Guidelines. Accounts are penalized for violations to either the Terms of Use and/or Community Guidlines. Repeated violations can lead to account termination.

Thank you for your report, it will be reviewed within the next 24-48 hrs.
Laceration Repair - Suture Size and Aftercare
ARCHIVE
RATE
REPORT/FLAG

Laceration Repair - Suture Size and Aftercare

(0)
Category:
#dermatology
Publish Date: May 1, 2017
Table of Contents

Material

  1. Nonabsorbable Monofilament — Nylon (Ethilon), Polypropylene (Prolene), and Polybutester (Novafil)
  2. Absorbable materials for dermal and fascial closures — Polyglycolic acid (Dexon, Dexon Plus), Polyglactin 910 (Vicryl), Polydioxanone (PDS — monofilament absorbable), Polyglyconate (Maxon — monofilament absorbable)
  3. Absorbable materials for mucosal and scrotal closure — Chromic gut, Polyglactin 910 (Vicryl)

Location

  • Scalp Percutaneous (skin): 5-0/4-0 Monofilament
    • Deep (dermal): 4-0 Absorbable
  • Ear Percutaneous: 6-0 Monofilament
  • Eyelid Percutaneous: 7-0/6-0 Monofilament
  • Eyebrow Percutaneous: 6-0/5-0 Monofilament
    • Deep: 5-0 Absorbable
  • Nose Percutaneous: 6-0 Monofilament
    • Deep: 5-0 Absorbable
  • Lip Percutaneous: 6-0 Monofilament
    • Deep: 5-0 Absorbable
  • Oral Mucosa Deep: 5-0 Absorbable
  • Other Parts Of Face & Forehead Percutaneous: 6-0 Monofilament
    • Deep: 5-0 Absorbable
  • Trunk Percutaneous: 5-0/4-0 Monofilament
    • Deep: 3-0 Absorbable
  • Extremities Percutaneous: 5-0/4-0 Monofilament
    • Deep: 4-0 Absorbable
  • Hand Percutaneous: 5-0 Monofilament
    • Deep: 5-0 Absorbable
  • Foot/Sole Percutaneous: 4-0/3-0 Monofilament
    • Deep: 4-0 Absorbable

Aftercare

  • Most wounds should be covered with an antibiotic ointment and a nonadhesive dressing immediately after laceration repair. 
  • The dressing should be left in place for 24 hours, after which time most wounds can be opened to air. 
  • Patients with nonabsorbable sutures (eg, nylon, polypropylene sutures) may be allowed to shower or wash the wound with soap and water without risking increased rates of infection or disruption of the wound 
  • Prolonged soaking of nonabsorbable stitches including swimming in chlorinated water should be avoided because of the theoretical risk of premature loss of suture tensile strength with wound dehiscence.

Suture Removal

The timing of suture removal varies with the anatomic site:

  • Eyelids – Three days
  • Neck – Three to four days
  • Face – Five days
  • Scalp – 7 to 14 day
  • Trunk and upper extremities – Seven days
  • Lower extremities – 8 to 10 days

About the Author
Medzcool
Improving medicine through the use of great design to create informative and entertaining medical education.
Add Section

  • New Section
    Creates a new section with
    subtitle and text

  • Text Block
    Insert text without a subtitle

  • Image
    Insert an inline image

Add Margin

  • Text Block
    Insert text without a subtitle

  • Image
    Insert an inline image

Upgrade Your Account
Case Set Name