BARBED SUTURE TECHNOLOGY AND THE NEED FOR KNOTLESS TISSUE CLOSURE

BARBED SUTURE TECHNOLOGY AND THE NEED FOR KNOTLESS TISSUE CLOSURE

In cases where the use of sutures is required, surgical knotting as part of traditional methods is usually utilized, hence the use of knots has become an inevitable necessity for tissue approximation up until recently. However, surgical knots naturally have disadvantages such as operator error, technique differences between operators, thinning of the suture material and decreased strength. In addition, knot tying can become quite a challenging task due to physical space limitations in various types of operations, especially in laparoscopic operations. Hence, knotless suture technology has been developed to overcome such problems. The working principle of this technology lies in the formation of a barbed structure on the surface of the suture. The barbed structure easily penetrates the tissue due to its geometry, effectively locking the tissue into place. Although these barbed structures formed on the suture surface can be in different geometric shapes and directions, the working mechanisms are mostly based on the same concept.

The surgical operations in which these products are frequently used are as follows;

• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,
• Gynecological Procedures,
• Laparoscopic Surgeries,
• Hernia Procedures,
• Skin Closure,
• Urological Procedures and General Surgery Procedures.

The use of these products in these operations greatly reduces the risk of excessive bleeding and the possibility of suture slippage. The possibility of infection due to the knot is naturally prevented. Since there is no need for knot tying, it both shortens the time in operations and reduces the total amount of sutures used.

Because of such clinical benefits, knotless wound closure technologies such as barbed sutures have rapidly gained popularity and their use in surgical operations is strongly increasing day by day.