NEW SUTURE FORCEPS

Suturing of skin lacerations is among the most frequent minor surgical operations in the general practice. The usual method of suturing, in which the skin edge is held with a straight forceps while the needle is passed, is mechanically unsound because the skin is supported at one point only. Resistance to the needle creates a stretching and tearing shear force between the needle and the forceps, requiring additional effort and resulting in trauma to tissue, pain, and occasional bending or breakage of the finer curved needles. A new suture forceps is here described, which allows the skin to be held gently but tautly between two metal fingers. Because of the ease and rapidity with which the needle may be passed through even tough skin when it is held taut, many wounds may be closed without the use of local anesthesia. Avulsed and loosely hanging skin flaps, usually difficult to manipulate