Suture Kits

By putting together first aid kits supplied with suturing necessities, you will be able to provide broader assistance during any emergency. Even if you lack the skills to properly use the items contained in a suture kit there is a good possibility that in an emergency someone else will have that knowledge.

There are many suture kits available for purchase. These kits should contain the necessary instruments used to suture wounds, including hemostats, probes, forceps, antiseptic, bandages and absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. Most will also have scalpels and scissors.

Absorbable sutures allow deep tissue wounds to be repaired without re-opening the wound to remove the sutures. They also allow for vascular and bone repair. These types of sutures are made from animal intestines or from polyglycolic or polylactic acid or caprolactone.

Some countries are concerned about the use of animal tissues and rely on modern industrial techniques to produce a dissolvable suture. Absorbable sutures are normally called cat gut or chromic gut depending on if the suture has been tanned with salt.

Hospital Grade Sutures

Non-absorbable sutures are made from silk or plastic threads manufactured by modern techniques. These modern advances have allowed very thin sutures to be made.

Some suture kits contain disposable sutures. These have the thread pressed into the needle during manufacturing and can not be re-used. Re-usable sutures are eyed needles that require suture material to be threaded through.

Sutures are sized by needle size and tip as well as the diameter of the thread. Suture size used to range from 1 to 6. However with the advances of medicinal manufacturing and techniques these numbers have been lowered and raised to #0000 to #11. Some suture sizes contain two numbers.

There are many types of needle shapes. Needle points differ as well. Most needles are curved. This shape allows the skin to be closed without stress to the tissues.

Save a life in a "no doctor" situation

Needle tips are very different. Some have cutting tips that slice through the skin. Others are tapered and some are blunt. The type of wound usually determines the thickness and tip of the needle. Most suture kits contain small curved needles with sharp points.

Suture kits should contain the a few sizes of both absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. Medium and fine sizes should be included. Suture sizes 4 and 5 are normally used to close surface wounds to arms, legs and muscle tissue. Suture sizes 2 and 3 are for delicate skin and mouth wounds.

Suture kits that contain metal instruments that can be sterilized will allow you to re-use them. Replacement sutures are available. Being prepared for disasters at home and at work with first aid kits which include suture materials may someday save a limb or even a life.

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