The Simple Interrupted Suture

The simple interrupted suture. The most common type of suture is a single stitch. If the edges are subject to tension, the wound can be closed by first tying a double knot and then two single knots on top of it. It should be noted that a knot tied on top of a double knot will tighten the suture further, which may lead to tissue ischaemia inside the suture loop, necrosis and scar formation ("railroad tracks").Excessive tightening of the suture can be avoided by using two consecutive single knots to produce a sliding lasso knot and tightening it appropriately. Locking such a knot will not tighten the suture but the knot will keep the wound edges together if there is tension on them on closure.

Picture and text: Alexander Salava