Sutures, ligatures and knots

The ability to correctly choose a suture material, appropriately suture a wound and ligate a structure are fundamental in any surgical speciality. These are index skills that a junior surgeon must master before progressing on to more complex procedures. This article discusses factors to consider when choosing suture material, techniques for closure of a wound, and knots used to ligate a structure. With use of minimally invasive techniques now widespread, the article also discusses laparoscopic methods for performing such tasks.