Vertical Mattress Suture
In the emergency department vertical mattress sutures are used for simple closure of wounds, including contaminated wounds following trauma. They are particularly useful when the wound requires more tension to bring together the skin edges, or for thin skin where this technique helps evert the skin edge effectively. In the operating theatre they may also be used for hand sewn bowel anastomoses. Timeline: 00:02 Hold the needle holder correctly 00:15 Always use the instruments to pick up the needle 00:20 Use the forceps to position the needle 00:25 ⅔’s along from the point of the needle 00:30 Small wounds 00:40 Take a slightly larger bite than normal 00:44 Start vertical mattress suture 00:50 Rotate the needle smoothly 01:10 Prepare for the backhand part of the mattress suture 01:27 Backhand technique 01:41 Standard knot 01:45 Double forward throw 02:01 Single backwards throw 02:17 Squared knot 02:26 Equally spaced vertical mattress sutures 02:30 Dispose of all sharps safely
