What are these called?

[michael79]

My co-worker was caring for a patient and asked a bunch of us what these sutures on a patient were called. They are thick, red, and look rubbery. They were in a midline incision, with staples present. None of us could remember. Any ideas?

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

i no exactly what your talking about was doing some body leg dressing and she had five quarter sized open areas with those snaked through , nobody knew what for or what they were called tho. retention sutures sounds goods though

Retention sutures on a LEG???? The retention suture insertion sites shouldn't be any bigger than the tube.

[beast master RN]

meybe it was different, they were under the skin , meybe it was part of the j p drain, but they were red and snaked through these open areas

[FlyingScot, RN]

When I worked NICU we had an infant whose mother had an amniotic fluid embolus and coded. They stat C-sectioned the baby but he was profoundly, profoundly damaged. He couldn't close his eyes and consequently got corneal ulcers at about 6 months. The docs finally sewed his eyes shut and had to use bumpers. To this day the mere thought of it makes me gag a little.

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

I'm wondering if there are 2 different things ???

Retention sutures are for an incision that has a higher likelihood of popping staples/sutures; the bumpers sound like they're supposed to protect the area, regardless of easy approximation of what was brought together????

[beast master RN]

live and learn

[ebear, BSN, RN]

"Bolsters" are wider flat types of things that sutures are threaded through at 4 points. Vessel loops are not hollow and cannot hold sutures in place like a "Bumper." I guess I can see where they would be useful to slide underneath skin sutures to prevent them from cutting into edematous tissue. Hmmmm.....