The history of barbed sutures.

Ligatures have been used for millennia to close wounds. Sterilization and synthetic polymers that degrade in a commensurate fashion with wound healing have been the most significant improvements in these age-old devices. However, the constricting loop of a traditional suture and subsequent ischemia ("approximate, don't strangulate") still account for the most common cause of wound dehiscence-necrosis.

Evaluation of a novel technique for wound closure using a barbed suture.

Background: Suture knots present several disadvantages in wound closure, because they are tedious to tie and place ischemic demands on tissue. Bulky knots may be a nidus for infection, and they may extrude through skin weeks after surgery. Needle manipulations during knot-tying predispose the surgeon to glove perforation.