What Is Your Best Advice for Buying Wound Closure Devices?

Use peer pressure
We have standardized our suture by specialty rather than by physician preference. If a surgeon wants to change, then he must get the approval of all surgeons in that specialty, and they all must change. This has worked particularly well at our center because our physician-owners support our efforts to keep costs low.

Be mindful of allergies
People can develop allergies or sensitivities to some suture materials, like nylon and some of the new antimicrobial-soaked suture.

Wayne Marler
Clinical Specialist
South Alabama Outpatient Services
Enterprise, Ala.
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Pass the savings on to surgeons
We recently evaluated two manufactures' suture. This gave us an opportunity to streamline our suture inventory and standardize the surgeons' use of certain products, which greatly reduced the volume and variety of suture we keep on the shelves. We turned the savings over to the surgeons to be used to purchase other equipment that they requested.

Shop around for specialty suture
I have saved on specialty suture by buying from companies other than the supplier of our general suture. Use the Internet to research what products are out there, and don't be afraid to ask for samples and have your surgeons trial a new brand before you order a whole box.

Dennis Fowler, RN
Purchasing Agent
East Columbus Surgery Center
Columbus, Ohio
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Split the pack
We used to use one stitch of a double-armed 10-0 nylon for each cataract surgery, and the rest of the suture was wasted. We now cut the suture in half when setting up the cases, and put one half on two separate sterile tables, so we use one suture on two patients. One sterile table is set up in the OR, and the other is set up outside the OR in a substerile prep room where it can be monitored until it's used.

Sometimes more is less
We have an orthopedic surgeon who uses 27-inch 4-0 vicryl, and the cardio surgeon just asked for the same but in 36 inches. We were able to save by getting the ortho doc to agree to use the longer version, instead of stocking two different sizes.

Set-up a suture cart
To keep inventory levels down and manageable, we have a suture cart that is located in the sterile corridor of the surgical suite. All suture is pulled from the cart instead of storage bins in the operating rooms.

Tricia Camacho
Director/Administrator
San Marcos Surgery Center
San Marcos, Texas
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Put nurses in charge
We pulled together a team of three RNs who represented all the specialty areas. They reviewed our suture usage and consolidated as needed. Any questionable suture was pulled from shelf and retained for three months. If it was not used after three months, we removed it from our formulary.

Track your suture inventory
When the suture is delivered to the department, write the date on the box. If it's not used in six months, discuss it with the surgeon. He might be able to use another kind of suture, and then you can remove the slow mover from your stock.

Lynda Simon, RN
Administrator
Head & Neck Surgical Center
Springfield, Mo.
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Use what you've got first
Surgeons must use up what we have first before we will consider ordering any new varieties.