• Surgeons have multiple considerations when choosing surgical needles.surgery operation image by alma_sacra from Fotolia.com
  
  Three considerations, when choosing a surgical needle, are point and body type and swage. The point type is based on the tissue the needle will be used to penetrate. The body type depends upon the incision point. The swage relates to the suture material and how it will be attached to the needle.
  
  

Point Types

• Surgical needles are available in several point types. The most common is the "cutting point." It is usually triangular and has two opposing cutting edges. It is used for cutting through dense tissue, and primarily chosen for skin sutures. The" tapered point" is round with a tapered point. It penetrates tissue by stretching rather than slicing it. This makes it useful for tissue that is easily pierced. The "beveled point" has been heat treated to prevent it from bending.
  
  

Body Type

• The body type refers to the shape of the entire needle. Different shapes help reach areas that cannot be sutured by straight needles. The curvature of a needle creates a path for the surgeon to follow. The "straight type," is common and easy for surgeons to manipulate. It is often chosen for tendon or gastrointestinal tract repair. The half curved "ski body" has a straight end with an enlarged curved point. This needle is useful in areas that are hard to reach. The "curved body" is a full half curve. When inserted through tissue, it will follow its own curved path to assist with suturing.
  
  

Swage

• The "swage" of a needle refers to the attachment at the end that connects it to the surgical thread. A "channel swage" has a "channel" cut into the blunt end of the needle. The suture material is inserted into the channel and the end of the needle is crimped to hold the thread in place. A "drill in" swage is similar to a channel swage but has a hole drilled into the end of the needle. The surgical thread is placed in the hole and it is crimped shut. Some needle may be non-swaged and have a small hole like the eye of a sewing needle. The suture thread is passed through this hole and tied to hold it to the needle. Swaged needles are used more than non-swaged ones because they cause less tissue trauma by having only one thread pass through.