Skin, an epithelial tissue, is the outermost covering of our body. It is a waterproof barrier that prevents the direct entry of microbes into our bodies. Whenever there is a cut or a laceration in the skin, it impairs the skin integrity. This leads to many complications such as skin infection, inflammation, etc. So after a large cut or a wound, it is necessary to repair the skin that is to close the wound. Special medical devices which are used to repair these cuts or closing the wounds are known as Surgical sutures. Surgical suture is named so because mostly these sutures are used to close the skin site after surgery. The surgical suture consists of a thread and a needle that joins the body tissues. They are manufactured in a surgical suture manufacturing company. Most of these companies are located in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Surgical sutures are of many types. They can be absorbable or non-absorbable. They can be braided or monofilament structures. They are widely used in surgical procedures. Due to increasing medical surgical procedures, there is a rise in the growth of surgical suture manufacturing companies. There are various steps in manufacturing a surgical suture. They are as follows:
•Step 1 Polymer Production: In the production of a raw polymer, the chemicals are measured and taken in the desired proportion. Then they are mixed in a chemical reactor. The chemicals join to produce a polymer that is broken into pellets.
•Step 2 Extrusion: The tiny pellets are passed into the extrusion machine where they melt and get converted into filaments.
•Step 3 Stretching: The filaments are passed through the rollers where they get stretched. Their length increases in this process.
•Step 4 Braiding: In this process, the filaments are converted into braided strands.
•Step 5 Secondary Processing: The non-braided filaments undergo this process after extrusion and stretching. These are passed over hot plates to remove lumps.
•Step 6 Annealing: Annealing is the heat treatment in which alters the physical properties of a substance. In this, the suture is passed through an oven and subjected to high temperatures. As a result, the crystalline structure changes to the long chain.
•Step 7 Coating: After the annealing process, the suture is coated with the liquid paste.
•Step 8 Quality check: After all this, finally the suture is tested for its quality. If all the parameters such as length, diameter and strength are accurate then the suture is sent for finishing.
•Step 9 Swaging: In this process, the suture is cut into standard length. Then it is inserted into the needle and it is crimped onto the fibre.
Finally, the needle and the suture is packed and sterilised.
All these steps finally lead to the production of a suture. The needle and suture are inserted into foil packets. After this, they are sealed and packed and the product is finally shipped to a particular place. They are manufactured in the companies from which they go the suture suppliers and wholesalers. These companies are certified and well established. They supply them to the hospitals where the sutures are used in surgeries.