The medical needle is the instrument without which it would be impossible to carry out surgery. It is needed for stitching wounds, administering medicines, taking blood and fluid for laboratory tests. Let us consider the features of atraumatic surgical needles, which are used in surgical interventions on internal organs, such as the heart, blood vessels, or soft tissues. It is during operations in these areas that the use of gentle materials is important.
Most often, such instruments already come with threads, which may or may not be absorbable. Recently, this particular product has been popular for suturing, as it practically leaves no traces of surgical intervention, thereby maintaining a beautiful cosmetic effect on the skin.
What is an atraumatic needle?
Atraumatica is a set consisting of a needle and thread (absorbable or non-absorbable), which is the basis of modernsuture materials. The surgical thread is pressed or fixed at the end. At the same time, the diameter of both the needle and the thread is almost the same, so tissue injury is minimal.
The thread in this case is like a continuation of the suture tool. Atraumatic instruments are sold in sterile packaging, since this material is intended for single use. Depending on the nature of the surgical intervention, threads can be used in different variations.
What are they made of
Atraumatic surgical needle with suture material is made of special stainless steel alloys. Thanks to a well-chosen composition, properties such as strength, sharpness and malleability are ensured. At the same time, the sharpening and polishing of the tool takes place using the latest and safest methods of metal processing. Each such product is coated with a special coating that provides penetrating power.
After manufacturing, the atraumatic goes through a process of electric polishing and hardening to prevent corrosion and increase the strength of the product. Polishing is ultrafine, so the risk of wound infection during surgery is minimal.
General specifications
Sterile atraumatics, which are used during surgery and are disposable, must meet a certain standard.
GOST atraumatic needle No. 26641-85 contains the following provisions:
- made of stainless steel;
- products must be elastic, the surface is shiny (without cracks, scratches and burrs);
- stabbing part - sharp without visible deformations;
- string fastening must be strong;
- diameter in the area of attachment to the suture thread, should not exceed 1.15 of the diameter of the product at the beginning of the attachment area;
- cross-section without knots must be the same along the entire length of the surgical suture;
- reliability must be designed for at least 40 punctures.
There are also technical conditions for each type of atraumatics. They contain information about what temperature and humidity the product can withstand during transportation, storage and use. It is important to check the tightness of the packaging when buying, where the material can be stored for up to two years. All information about the product must be printed on the box: manufacturer, dimensions, shape of the point and degree of its curvature, thickness, color and name of the material from which the suture thread is made.
Varieties
Atraumatic needles are consumables that are used only once. In this case, the product can be supplemented with a surgical thread of different types, which must be taken into account when choosing for a specific surgical intervention. It may also differ in shape and point of the product.
Varieties of point:
- cutting - used to work with dense fabrics;
- piercing-cutting - most often used for stitching calcified vessels;
- stabbing - used in work with internal organs, qualitatively sews blood vessels and soft tissues;
- lanceolate - used for surgical intervention in microscopic zones (eyeball), when healing, the seam is almost invisible;
- with a blunt end - used when it is necessary to protect blood vessels and soft tissues (for surgical intervention in the area of the liver, uterus and other female organs).
The needle with a cutting point is intended for subcutaneous sutures, but vessels may rupture and bleeding may increase. The most common type is the piercing point. The body of the product and the gripping point can be in the form of a circle, oval, triangle or trapezoid.
Further, the division goes into straight lines, products with complex curvature and semicircular atraumatic needles with absorbable thread. Also, products may differ in length and radius. Large radius instruments are used for suturing large areas and dense surfaces (abdomen). Products with a small diameter are used in ophthalmology.
Basic requirements
In order for the surgery to be successful and without side effects, it is worth paying attention to the important properties that an atraumatic needle must meet.
The main characteristics of the surgical suturetool:
- sharpness - the product must be well machined and minimally injure the fabric during a puncture;
- sterility and corrosion protection - the integrity of the instrument depends on this;
- must be lab tested to confirm durability.
The choice of a suture tool, as well as the thread that is attached to it, depends on the type of fabric that needs to be sewn, the location of the seam and the size of the affected matter.
Features of atraumatic needles
Such medical instruments are suitable for surgical intervention on vessels, tendons, internal organs and other places where a conventional surgical device with a removable thread cannot be used. In products of the atraumatic category, there is no eye, and the thread is firmly attached to the body of the needle, so the possibility of injury to the skin is minimal, respectively, and the risk of developing an inflammatory process during healing is reduced to zero.
With the help of atraumatics, any jewelry operation can be carried out. That is why plastic surgeons love her. Most often, an atraumatic needle is made for single use, but there is also one where the thread is recharged and, accordingly, the tool can be used repeatedly.
In such a product (for multiple use), the back part looks like a tube, in which there is a groove along the thickness of the suture thread, which is tucked into it and fixed. Such a tool can be recharged with any suture material - nylon, silk, catgut,tantalum thread and others. Also, the instrument is easy to disinfect and sterilize.
Sizes
Atraumatics is valued by surgeons for its ideally smooth surface, good breaking load, excellent manipulation properties, convenience and ease of passage through tissues, as well as high strength. When choosing such a tool, the bending radius is taken into account. It can be 1/4, 3/8, 5/8 and 1/2 circle, as well as straight. The size of the atraumatic needles can vary from 4 mm to 75 mm, diameter - from 0.1 mm to 1.57 mm.
Atraumatic for single use, to which the suture material is already attached, can be completed with absorbable or non-absorbable sutures. This is a nylon or lavsan cord. The instrument can be sterile (sterilization is carried out by the radiation method) and non-sterile. Products are sold in packs of 20 to 40 pieces.
How do surgical needles work?
Working with medical suture instruments has its own characteristics, which is why it is important to choose a product depending on the surgical intervention.
Things to consider when working:
- the trajectory of movement through the fabric must correspond to the curvature of the product;
- the size should correspond to the thickness of the layer of fabric being pierced (using small needles on dense fabric can distort them, which will affect the quality of the seam);
- The point is inserted into each side of the cut.
Conclusion
Atraumatics allows jewelry to sew up wounds, especially on the internal organs. It is durable, gentle, and has a minimal risk of bleeding and inflammation after surgery.
The most commonly used needles are atraumatic in sterile packaging for single use, to which the suture material is already attached. They can differ not only in the length and type of the point, but also in the bend. All these indicators are taken into account when choosing a specific surgical intervention.
