Suture materials currently used in obstetric-gynecologic surgery in the United States: a questionnaire survey

Questionnaires on the material and the size of sutures used in obstetric-gynecologic surgery were sent to the directors of 110 residency programs in the specialty in medical schools in the United States. Replies were received from 80 (73%) programs. The findings indicate that the use of chromic catgut still predominates, but that the newer synthetic absorbable materials such as polyglycolic acid and polyglactin 910 are becoming popular for some procedures, including certain steps in abdominal closure and in reconstructive tubal surgery. The increasing use of these materials for hysterectomy and cesarean section, heretofore exclusively the domain of chromic catgut, suggests that there is possibly under way a reorientation of attitudes about the materials used for sutures in obstetric-gynecologic surgery. The characteristics of catgut and of synthetic absorbable materials are herein described and compared in relation to their current use.