In the medical field, the doctors are dealing with patients who have serious wounds on a daily basis. Luckily, stitches are there to help the medical staff deal with those injuries. Also known as surgical sutures, stitches have been around for many millenniums, but the way in which they are currently being used has developed and improved hugely. Whether they are needed after an injury or surgery, stitches are medical devices which have the purpose of closing wounds. This is because stitches hold the body tissue together, making sure that the patient does not face any more problems.

Stitches come in different shapes and sizes, and they are made out of numerous materials. However, all stitches have something in common: they consist of a needle which has an attached length of thread. The types and shapes of needles are also diverse, and using one or the other usually depends on the size and gravity of the wound. Among the types of surgical needles, the most popular ones are the taper, cutting, reverse cutting, side cutting, tapercut or blunt points. You should also know some things about the stitches thread, which is also made from a wide range of materials. Examples here are many. Originally, the biological materials were used, such as silk or catgut. The more modern versions include synthetic materials, like nylon, polypropylene, polyglycolic acid or polylactic acid.

Luckily, you do not have to worry about this aspect, because if you need stitches, the doctor or nurse attending you will know which alternative is the best for you. You should know, though, that stitches can be absorbable or non-absorbable. The absorbable stitches are, as the name suggests, stitches which are broken down over time and naturally absorbed by the body. The non-absorbable stitches must usually be removed after a period of time, and they often leave scars. Nevertheless, stitches are used all the time, because they are the best and fastest way of closing wounds. Most people do not even want to hear about stitches, but they do not realize that stitches actually speed up the healing process.