Sutures are a medical staple of doctors, vets and researchers, and finding the right place to buy surgical suture is key to having the proper medical tool at hand for your patient or learning exercise. From finding a suture kit to suture needles to surgical sutures, you can easily find the right surgical suture suppliers. You just need to make sure that you are not only buying the right quality, but the right kind of sutures.

The quality and types of sutures vary greatly. You can buy human grade sutures in absorbable or non-absorbable types, and even then there are different levels of quality. You can also buy veterinary grade sutures that are not suitable for human use, but you can use for research purposes.

When looking for sutures, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Are you looking for human or animal grade sutures?

2. Do you only need sutures for research purposes where you can use the lower quality or animal grade sutures?

3. Do you need absorbable or non-absorbable sutures? Do have any other quality needs for areas like cosmetic surgery, internal surgery or other purpose?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find and utilize resources on medical sutures

Check out information and photos on different types of medical sutures and procedures.

I recommend: Aetna InteliHealth offers background and health information on sutures. American Academy of Family Physicians shows photos and discusses the topic of mattress sutures. Check out illustrations and information on cranial sutures from the U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus site. You can find even more information from the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago.

Purchase absorbable sutures

Absorbable sutures are for delicate areas.

I recommend: Purchase absorbable sutures from DemeTECH Corporation. They offer seven different kinds. Kollsut Scientific Corporation offers a wide variety of absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. CP Medical offer six types of absorbable sutures. Look at the absorbable Ophthalmic sutures from Eye4Vision.

Use non-absorbable sutures

For surgical procedures where the surgeon needs the stitches to stay in longer, non-absorbable sutures are necessary to keep the area closed long enough to heal, as metabolic processes degrade the quality of absorbable sutures too quick.

I recommend: eSutures.com offers a wide variety of in-date sutures, as well as out of date sutures for veterinary or educational use. MedexSupply offers sutures and suture removal products. Check out the wide variety of brands and types of sutures from Arista Surgical. Find even more suture products from HOSPEQ.

Buy vet sutures for your practice

Veterinarians also need to purchase sutures for their canine, feline and other surgical needs as well.

I recommend: Purchase a wide variety of veterinary sutures from S & S Medical. Purchase absorbable or non-absorbable sutures from MedRep Express. Air-Tite Products Co. offers four types of Oasis sutures. SouthPointe Surgical Supply also offers vet and resource use sutures.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You can buy pre threaded suture needles instead of plain old sutures. This is an eyeless needle that is attached to a specific length of thread. They remove the threading process and save you a step.