Closure Of Surgical Incisions

Overview

Closure of every surgical incision should be carefully accessed taking consideration of the site and tissues involved and the technique of closure to be used. However, the suture materials used must be ideal such as easy to handle, sterile, predictable tensile strength, glides through tissues easily and minimal tissue reaction. There are several types of wound healing, which is healing by primary intention, healing by secondary intention and healing by the tertiary intention that is also known as delayed closure or skin grafting. There are many types of the closure of surgical incision and one of the common ones are suturing where the most commonly used techniques are interrupted sutures, continuous sutures, mattress sutures, and subcuticular sutures. Besides suturing, other alternatives to suturing are skin adhesive strips, tissue glue, staples, and clips. Point to be noted is every type of closure has its own advantages, disadvantages, indication, and contraindications. Hence why careful assessment and decision making is crucial.