Sutures vs Staples
@shtiyajust4you said to @ask-drferox:I've been watching VetRanch for a while, and I noticed that sometimes the vets there use staples to close an operation wound, and sometimes sutures. I was wondering whether there is a reason they choose between the two or whether it is personal preference? I'm assuming that staples aren't perfect for a facial wound, but is there any reason to choose for one or the other when the wound is on an amputated leg (for example)? Thanks! :D
Surgical staples are fast to use and easy to apply compared to sutures, but they don’t have as nice a cosmetic result and you can’t oppose tissue as finely as you would with sutures. They’re also hard and that can irritate the patient. But if you just need to close a straight line, in somewhere that wont be looked at much, in a hurry because your anaesthetic is long (eg major abdominal surgery) then they’re very handy.
Sutures are finer, softer, can be placed as intradermals and allow a more careful, dexterous placement. You can do fancier knots with sutures for tricky places (eg shoelace sutures at the eyelid margin) but they take longer to place.
For an amputated leg, it may simply be a combination of surgeon preference and what is available. They’ll both do the job.
