Suture materials handling properties

Table 10.1 summarizes the characteristics of each of the four essential properties. It is important to recognize that these characteristics are interrelated. For example, capillarity of a suture material, which is a physical/ mechanical property, is closely related to the ability of the suture to transport bacteria, which is a biological property. The modulus of elasticity, a physical/mechanical property, affects the pliability of sutures, a handling property. A brief description of each of those essential properties will be given below and they are Usted in Tables 10.1 through 10.7. Readers should be aware of the fact that the data in the tables vary with the specific clinical and/or physical environments that suture materials are subjected to and the constant refining of manufacturing processes by suture manufacturers. 

During application, a specific knotting technique is required to handle and tie the sutures. With multifilament sutures, the nature of the material and the braided or twisted construction provide a high coefficient of friction and the knots remain as they are laid down. In monofilament sutures the coefficient of friction is relatively low, resulting in a greater tendency for the knot to loosen after it has been tied. In addition, monofilament synthetic polymeric materials possess the property of memory, with a... 

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