After twisting, the strand is dried under tension and is then sandpapered to remove the rough surface and rubbed down with emery paper. The dust is removed by washing with water, after which it is dried, gauged and made up into rolls.
On account of the adhesive quality of the prepared gut, it can be twisted into an almost homogeneous strand. The strips are placed in the twisting machine. The number of strips being twisted together varies according to the size of the strand to be produced. The twisting machine consists of a stationary hook to which…
The ribbon may be tanned or hardened by soaking in solutions of chromic salts. Greater the concentration of chromium salt, slower will be the digestion of the gut in the body. Thus, tanning causes a delay in the absorption of the gut in the body. Terms such as plain, chromic and extra chromic are used…
The commercial catgut suture material is obtained from the small intestine of sheep. The intestines of freshly killed sheep are cleaned of their contents and are placed in cold storage or packaged in brine for transportation. The first 75 meters of the gut is chosen for the preparation of surgical catgut. The intestines are inspected…
Learning Objective Catgut The word catgut is derived from the German word kitgut. “Kit” was an old German musical instrument on which gut was used as strings, hence came the word kitgut. This word gradually changed by use, language and age, and its spelling eventually changed to catgut.
Learning Objective
Learning Objective Absorbable sutures are those that are broken down in the body after a period of time. The time of degradation of the material in the body varies from days to weeks. They are used for internal body tissues where the suture eventually dissolves after performing the function. The advantage in such type of…
INTRODUCTION Surgical ligatures and sutures are the threads or strings specially prepared and sterilized for use in surgery. The term ligatures is mainly applied for those used in tying of blood vessels, whereas the term sutures is applied for those used in sewing tissues together. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Sutures and ligatures have been used by surgeons…