ASSESSMENT OF THE STRENGTH AND ELONGATION PROPERTIES OF SILK AND NYLON SURGICAL SUTURES ACROSS DIFFERENT SUTURE CALIBERS

Abstract

This paper studies the tensile strength and elongation at break of two common non-absorbable surgical sutures currently used in skin, soft tissue, and surgical wound suturing techniques: Silk surgical suture (natural surgical suture) and Nylon surgical suture (synthetic surgical suture) when changing suture sizes to 5/0; 4/0; 3/0; and 2/0. Tests were conducted under three conditions: before attaching the needle, after attaching the needle, and after knot tying. The results showed that: (i) larger suture sizes exhibited higher tensile strength but lower elongation; (ii) Nylon demonstrated higher tensile strength than Silk at the same suture size, whereas Silk had lower elongation, making it easier to handle and providing better knot security; (iii) The relationship between surgical suture size and mechanical properties follows a linear relationship with a correlation coefficient R² of approximately 0.9 or higher. These findings provide surgeons with scientific evidence for selecting suitable sutures according to tissue type and suturing technique, thereby improving clinical outcomes.