Summary of Surgical Sutures Coding and Specifications

1. Common Description and Coding System

This section outlines the coding system used for surgical sutures, including USP sizes, thread materials, needle types, and additional identifiers.

• USP Sizes: Range from 1 to 12-0, including intermediate sizes like 1-0, 2-0, etc.
• Thread Materials: Various materials are coded with letters, such as PGA (Polyglycolic Acid) as 'G', PDO (Polydioxanone) as 'D', Silk as 'S', Nylon (monofilament and braided) as 'N' and 'B', Polyester as 'E', PTFE as 'Z', Steel as 'GS', and others.
• Needle Tips: Different needle tip types are coded numerically and alphabetically, including Taper (1), Blunt Point (2), Reverse Cutting (3), Cutting (4), Diamond (5), Premium Cutting (6), Taper-cut (7), Spatula/Lancet (8), Square (9), Wing (A), Sleigh Taper (B), and others.
• Needle Body: Codes include fractions like 2½, 3⅓, 4¼, 5⅝, compound (6), straight (0), and others.
• Needle Length: Measured in millimeters, can be decimal values below 10 mm (e.g., 6.4 mm).
• Thread Colors: Standard colors are assigned per material, e.g., PGA and PGLA are violet, PTFE is white, Polyester is green, Nylon is blue or black (ophthalmic), PVDF is blue, and others.
• Additional Codes: Indicate needle weight (H for heavy), loop (P), reel (R), black thread (A), double thread (D), pledget (T), clip (K), uncoated (N), and more.
• Thread Length and Packaging: Thread length is given in centimeters (1-3 digits), and packaging may include multiple pieces per envelope.

2. Needle and Thread Configurations

This section describes configurations such as double needles with one or two threads, needle lengths, and cassette packaging.

• Double Needle with Two Threads: Example given is USP sizes 1-0 and 4-0 with needle code G X 24 40 - 14.
• Cassette Packaging: Example code CA G 025 with thread color codes following.
• Marking Rules: When needles have the same shape, they should be ordered from short to long length. USP sizing should correspond to needle length.

3. Additional Notes

• Needle length can be specified with decimals for lengths below 10 mm.
• Thread color defaults depend on the material type.
• Additional identifiers provide information about needle and thread characteristics, packaging, and special features.

Contact and Trademark Information: The document is © 2014 KOLLSUT® International, Inc., with contact details and trademark notice included.