Products

Absorbable Sutures

Nonabsorbable Sutures

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Suture Quality United States Pharmacopeia Natural Suture Materials Synthetic Suture Materials Sutures are the stitches used to hold together the skin and internal organs that have been damaged by injury or surgery. Sutures are designed to help the body heal by closely opposing two sides of a wound to minimize scar formation or to prevent leaking blood, like in vessels. Sutures have to comply with several regulations and guidelines such as United States Pharmacopeia and the FDA to ensure they meet the necessary requirements.

DemeTech's Polyglycolic Acid Suture in use

Essential suture characteristics
All sutures by DemeTech are manufactured to meet the necessary qualities:

Sterility

Uniform diameter and size

Pliability for ease of handling and knot security

Uniform tensile strength by suture type and size

Freedom from irritants or impurities that would elicit tissue reaction

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United States Pharmacopeia
The United States Pharmacopeia classification system was established in 1937 for standardization and comparison of suture materials, corresponding to metric measures. The 3 classes of sutures are collagen, synthetic absorbable, and nonabsorbable. Size refers to the diameter of the suture strand and is denoted as zeroes. The more zeroes characterizing a suture size, the smaller the resultant strand diameter (eg, 4-0 is larger than 5-0). The smaller the suture, the less tensile strength of the strand.

United States Pharmacopeia classification

Class I - Silk or synthetic fibers of monofilament, twisted, or braided construction

Class II - Cotton or linen fibers or coated natural or synthetic fibers in which the coating contributes to suture thickness without adding strength

Class III - Metal wire of monofilament or multifilament construction

U.S.P. Suture Size	Average Minimum (kgf)	Individual Minimum (kgf)
11-0	0.007	0.005
10-0	0.014	0.010
9-0	0.021	0.015
8-0	0.050	0.025
7-0	0.080	0.040
6-0	0.170	0.080
5-0	0.230	0.110
4-0	0.450	0.230
3-0	0.680	0.340
2-0	1.100	0.450
0	1.500	0.450
1	1.800	0.600
2+	1.800	0.700

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Natural Suture Materials
Natural sutures are made from natural materials such as collagen derived from the gastrointestinal track of animals, woven cotton, raw silk, linen, or steel. Because of the material, tissue reaction is often greater with natural sutures, especially those that are absorbable (e.g. Catgut). Coating agents are often used to help reduce tissue reactivity and to help reduce friction.