A medical needle is the tool without which surgical intervention would not be possible. It is needed for suturing wounds, administering medications, taking blood and fluids for laboratory tests. Consider the features of atraumatic surgical needles that 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 tools already come in sets with threads that can be absorbable or not. Recently, this particular product has been popular for suturing, since it leaves virtually no traces of surgical intervention, thereby preserving a beautiful cosmetic effect on the skin.
What is an atraumatic needle?
Atraumatic is a set consisting of a needle with a thread (absorbable or non-absorbable), which is the basis of modern suture materials. The surgical thread is pressed in or attached to the end. At the same time, the diameter of both the needle and thread is almost the same, so tissue injury is minimal.
The thread in this case is, as it were, a continuation of the suture instrument. Atraumatic instruments are sold in sterile packaging, as this material is intended for single use. Depending on the nature of the surgical intervention, the threads can be used in different variations.
What are they made of?
Surgical atraumatic needle with suture material is made of special stainless steel alloys. Thanks to a well-chosen composition, such properties as strength, sharpness and ductility are provided. At the same time, the tool is sharpened and polished using the latest and safest metal processing methods. Each such product is coated with a special coating that provides penetration.
After manufacturing, the atraumatic undergoes the process of electrical polishing and hardening to prevent corrosion and increase the strength of the product. Polishing is ultra-thin, so the risk of infection of the wound during surgery is minimal.
General technical requirements
Sterile atraumatic, which is used in the process of surgical intervention and is disposable, must comply with a certain standard.
GOST atraumatic needle number 26641-85 contains the following provisions:
- made of stainless steel;
- products must be elastic, the surface is shiny (without cracks, scratches and burrs);
- the stitching part is sharp without visible deformations;
- thread fastening must be durable;
- the 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 area of attachment;
- the cross section without knots should be the same along the entire length of the surgical suture;
- Reliability should be designed for at least 40 punctures.
There are also technical specifications for each kind of atraumatic. They contain information about what temperature and humidity the product can withstand during transportation, storage and use. It is important when purchasing to check the tightness of the packaging, where the material can be stored for up to two years. All information about the product must be applied to the box: the manufacturer, dimensions, shape of the tip and the degree of curvature, thickness, color and the name of the material from which the suture thread is made.
Varieties
Atraumatic needles are consumables that are used only once. At the same time, the product can be supplemented with a different type of surgical thread, which must be taken into account when choosing for a specific surgical intervention. It may also vary in shape and tip of the product.
Species types:
- cutting - used to work with dense tissues;
- piercing-cutting - are most often used for stitching calcined vessels;
- stitching - used in work with internal organs, cross-link blood vessels and soft tissues;
- lanceolate - used for surgical intervention in microscopic areas (eyeball), when the suture is healed, it is practically not visible;
- with a blunted end - used when it is necessary to preserve blood vessels and soft tissues (for surgical intervention in the liver, uterus and other female organs).
A needle with a cutting tip is designed for suturing, but blood vessels may break and bleeding may increase. The most common type is the piercing point. The body of the product and the place of capture can be in the form of a circle, oval, triangle or trapezoid.
Further, the division is into straight lines, products with complex curvature and atraumatic needles are semicircular with absorbable thread. Products may also vary in length and radius. Tools with a large radius are used for stitching large areas and a dense surface (abdominal cavity). Products with a small diameter are used in ophthalmology.
Primary requirements
In order for the surgery to be successful and without the occurrence of side effects, it is worth paying attention to the important properties that the atraumatic needle must correspond to.
Key features of a surgical suture instrument:
- sharpness - the product should be well grooved and minimally injure the tissue during puncture;
- sterility and corrosion protection - the integrity of the instrument depends on this;
- must undergo laboratory tests that confirm the strength of the product.
The choice of the suture instrument, 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 material.
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. There is no eyelet in products of the atraumatic category, 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 the inflammatory process during healing is reduced to zero.
Using atraumatic surgery, you can carry out any jewelry operations. That is why plastic surgeons love her. Most often, an atraumatic needle is made for single use, but there is one where the thread is recharged and, accordingly, the tool can be used repeatedly.
In this product (for repeated use), the back part looks like a tube in which there is a groove along the thickness of the suture thread, which is refilled and fixed in it. Such a tool can be recharged with any suture material - nylon, silk, catgut, tantalum thread and others. It is also easy to disinfect and sterilize the instrument.
Dimensions
Atraumatics is appreciated by surgeons for its perfectly smooth surface, good tensile strength, excellent handling properties, convenience and ease of passage through tissues, and 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 circles in size, and also direct. The size of the atraumatic needles can vary from 4 mm to 75 mm, the diameter from 0.1 mm to 1.57 mm.
Atraumatic for single use, to which the material for stitching is already attached, can be equipped with absorbable or non-absorbable threads. This is a kapron 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 they work with surgical needles?
Working with medical suture instruments has its own peculiarities, which is why it is important to choose a product depending on the surgical intervention.
What to consider when working:
- the path through the fabric should correspond to the curvature of the product;
- the size should correspond to the thickness of the punctured fabric layer (the use of small needles in diameter on dense fabric may bend them, which will affect the quality of the seam);
- A tip is introduced on each side of the incision.
Conclusion
Atraumatic jewelry allows you to suture wounds, especially on internal organs. It is distinguished by durability, gentle action, as well as a minimal risk of bleeding and the occurrence of inflammatory processes after surgery.
Most often, atraumatic needles are used in sterile packaging for single use, to which suture material is already attached. They can differ not only in the length and type of the tip, but also in bending. All these indicators are taken into account when choosing to conduct a certain surgical intervention.