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Do-It-Yourself Microsuture from Human Hair for Basic Microsurgical Training
Pobe Luangjarmekorn1, Pravit Kitidumrongsook1, Sittisak Honsawek2
1Department of Orthopaedics, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Journal of Reconstructive Microsurgery
|October 27, 2018
Summary
A novel Do-It-Yourself (DIY) microsuture crafted from human hair offers a cost-effective alternative for microsurgical training. This DIY microsuture demonstrates acceptable quality comparable to standard options, making it readily available for practice.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Surgical Education
- Materials Science
Background:
- Microsutures are crucial for microsurgical training but are costly and often unavailable.
- This study addresses the need for an accessible and affordable microsuture alternative.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) microsuture using human hair and a needle gauge.
- To compare the quality of the DIY microsuture with a standard nylon microsuture in a training setting.
Main Methods:
- A DIY microsuture was created using human hair and a 32G needle.
- Orthopaedic residents performed arterial anastomosis on chicken thighs using both DIY and standard microsutures.
- A questionnaire assessed thread quality, needle quality, needle-thread interface, and overall quality via Likert scores.
Main Results:
- Thread quality and needle-thread interface of the DIY microsuture were comparable to the standard microsuture (good to excellent).
- The needle component of the DIY microsuture showed significantly lower quality (fair-to-good) than the standard (good-to-excellent).
- Overall quality of the DIY microsuture was rated as good, with no statistically significant difference compared to the standard microsuture.
Conclusions:
- The DIY microsuture made from human hair is a viable, low-cost alternative for basic microsurgical training.
- Its easy production and availability, coupled with acceptable quality, make it suitable for practice.
- This innovation can enhance accessibility to microsurgical training materials.
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