Needle Types

Needle types

Some of the instruments (with descriptions) used for closing wounds include: Needle

The main types of needle include:

• Tapered
  • Gradually taper to the point and cross-section reveals a round, smooth shaft.
  • They are used for easy to tear internal tissues like bowel or blood vessels or can be used to close fascia as part of a two-layer closure. 
• Cutting
  • Triangular tip with the apex forming a cutting surface.
  • Used for tough tissue, such as skin (use of a tapered needle with skin causes excess trauma because of difficulty in penetration).
• Reverse cutting needle
  • Similar to a conventional cutting needle except for the cutting-edge face down instead of up. This may decrease the likelihood of sutures pulling through soft tissue.
• Double ended needles are used when anastomosing vessels. They are occasionally seen in your thoracotomy trays and are very useful with pledgets to repair the ventricular wounds.