Ethicon Ethibond Excel Polyester Suture W4846 (USP 5, V-55, 4x75cm, Green)
Cardiovascular surgery, orthopaedic repairs, fascial closure in abdominal procedures, ophthalmology, neurological tissue fixation — these are not situations that tolerate a suture that degrades, stretches, or loses its tensile strength after placement. The tissues being approximated need to remain approximated indefinitely. The suture is expected to maintain its mechanical properties for the life of the patient. Ethicon Ethibond Excel is a non-absorbable braided polyester suture — polyethylene terephthalate (PET) monofilament fibres woven into a braided multifilament structure and coated with polybutylate, a unique coating compound developed by Ethicon. Polybutylate is a semi-crystalline co-polymer that bonds to the polyester braid mechanically rather than as a surface film, providing a coating that does not flake off or degrade over time. The coating gives Ethibond Excel its characteristic smooth tissue passage and handling properties without the coating failure that can occur with wax or silicone coatings on other braided sutures. The W4846 designation identifies a specific needle-strand combination: USP size 5 (EP gauge 6) green braided suture, four 75cm strands per package, fitted with the V-55 needle — a large, heavy-gauge 1/2 circle taper-cut needle designed for tough, fibrous tissue that requires more cutting force than a standard taper-point would provide. The V-55 needle is commonly used in large orthopaedic applications, fascial repair, and tendon surgery. The green dyeing provides high visual contrast against tissue, which is a clinical priority in procedures where suture retrieval and knot identification must be rapid and unambiguous. The braided structure provides reliable knot security — critical in permanent sutures where post-operative knot slippage would compromise the repair. For surgical supply distributors, Ethibond Excel is a standard catalogue item in suture product ranges, particularly those serving orthopaedic, cardiovascular, and general surgery units. Sara Wellness exports Ethicon surgical sutures to medical distributors internationally.
Ethicon Ethilon Non-Absorbable Nylon Suture NW3336
Nylon sutures occupy a specific position in the suture inventory that is not easily replaced: strong, smooth, non-reactive, and available in fine enough diameters to close skin on the face with minimal scarring. They are the suture of choice for skin closure, where the material will be removed after healing, and where the primary requirements are tissue-friendly passage, minimal scarring, and reliable knot security for the duration of healing. Ethicon Ethilon is a monofilament nylon suture — a single continuous filament of long-chain aliphatic polyamide polymer (Nylon 6 and Nylon 6.6) that provides a smooth, low-drag tissue passage without the interstices of a braided structure that could harbour bacteria. The monofilament structure also provides spring-back memory (the suture tends to return to its original straight shape when removed from the packaging), which requires more throws per knot to achieve secure knotting but also means the suture does not wick fluids along its length. The NW3336 is a specific product code identifying: USP size 2-0 (EP 3), black monofilament, with a 45mm 3/8 circle reverse cutting needle, and a 70cm strand length. The reverse cutting needle has a cutting edge on the outer (convex) curve of the needle, which reduces the risk of suture pullout through tissue compared to conventional cutting needles (which cut toward the wound margin). The 45mm needle provides good tissue clearance for general wound closure applications where the tissue thickness requires a larger needle radius. Black dye provides high visual contrast against skin and tissue for easy suture identification during placement and at removal. The 70cm working length provides adequate material for medium-length wound closures without excess strand to manage. For surgical supply distributors, Ethilon is one of the most widely ordered non-absorbable suture products — a standard skin closure option in virtually every surgical tray configuration. Sara Wellness exports Ethicon sutures to distributors internationally.
Ethicon MONOCRYL (Poliglecaprone 25) Suture Y494G
Wound closure after elective facial surgery, delicate subcuticular skin closure, ophthalmic procedures, and any case where the surgeon wants the suture to dissolve cleanly within a few weeks without inflammation — this is where MONOCRYL earns its position as one of the most prescribed synthetic absorbable sutures in the world. Ethicon MONOCRYL is a synthetic absorbable monofilament suture composed of a copolymer of glycolide and epsilon-caprolactone (poliglecaprone 25). The glycolide-caprolactone chemistry was specifically engineered to produce a material with a short absorption timeline and a very low tissue reactivity profile — properties that distinguish it from older absorbable monofilaments. The absorption profile is predictable: MONOCRYL retains approximately 50-60% of its original tensile strength at 7 days and approximately 20-30% at 14 days post-implantation, with complete mass absorption by hydrolysis occurring within 90-120 days. The short strength retention window makes MONOCRYL the ideal choice for skin closure and subcuticular closures where the wound only requires suture support for 7-10 days, after which the healed tissue provides its own strength. For procedures requiring prolonged tissue support, polydioxanone (PDS II) or polyglactin (Vicryl) are more appropriate. The Y494G designation identifies a specific product: size 4-0 (EP 1.5), undyed (not violet), single strand 18" (45cm), P-3 needle (13mm, 3/8 circle, precision reverse cutting). The undyed formulation is preferred for cosmetically sensitive skin closure where violet pigment visibility at the skin surface is undesirable. The P-3 needle is a small, precise needle suited for delicate tissue passage. For surgical suture distributors, MONOCRYL is a high-volume, consistently ordered product across surgical, obstetric, and aesthetic surgery segments. Sara Wellness exports Ethicon sutures internationally.
Ethicon PDS II Polydioxanone Suture NW9262
Abdominal wall closure after major laparotomy demands a suture that is still doing its job weeks after the operation, when the patient is coughing, breathing deeply in physiotherapy, and beginning to resume activity. Mass closure of the abdominal wall requires adequate tensile support for the full healing cycle — typically 4-6 weeks — because the risk of burst abdomen peaks at the point when the abdominal wound is under dynamic functional load but has not yet developed adequate collagen maturity. Ethicon PDS II is polydioxanone — a synthetic absorbable monofilament suture with one of the longest strength retention profiles among absorbable suture materials. PDS II retains approximately 70% of its original tensile strength at 2 weeks post-implantation and approximately 50% at 4 weeks, providing meaningful mechanical support through the entire primary wound healing phase. Complete absorption by hydrolysis occurs between 182 and 238 days — well past the point at which support is needed. The NW9262 product code identifies a large, heavy version for major fascial and abdominal wall closure: USP size 1 (EP 4), violet monofilament, 150cm strand (length sufficient for continuous mass closure of a midline laparotomy), fitted with a 50mm 1/2 circle round body heavy needle. The round body needle has a tapered point and no cutting edge — it pushes through tissue rather than cutting, which preserves tissue integrity and reduces the risk of suture pullout through the widened needle track that a cutting needle creates. The violet colour provides excellent visibility in deep wounds during continuous suture placement and facilitates identification at any subsequent procedure if the suture is still present before absorption is complete. PDS II is also used for fascial repair in hernia surgery when a delayed-absorbable suture is preferred over permanent suture, and in paediatric cardiovascular surgery where tissue growth at the suture site is expected. Sara Wellness exports Ethicon sutures to medical distributors internationally.
Ethicon PDS Plus Antibacterial Polydioxanone Suture PDP9262T
Surgical site infection is a problem that clinical practice has been trying to solve since surgery began. Despite every advance in antibiotic prophylaxis, operating theatre ventilation, skin preparation, and surgical technique, SSI rates in major abdominal surgery remain a consistent source of patient morbidity, prolonged hospitalisation, and healthcare cost. The triclosan-coated suture was developed specifically to add an additional layer of protection at the one place that antibiotics and environmental controls cannot reach: the surface of the implanted suture itself. Ethicon PDS Plus Antibacterial Suture is polydioxanone monofilament — the same material, same absorption profile, same tensile properties, and same handling characteristics as PDS II — with the addition of triclosan (Irgacare MP), a broad-spectrum bacteriostatic agent coated onto each strand. Triclosan inhibits fatty acid synthesis in bacteria, disrupting their ability to form and maintain cell membranes. When bacteria attempt to colonise the suture surface, they encounter an antibacterial concentration that prevents biofilm establishment. In vitro data from Ethicon and peer-reviewed publications demonstrate that PDS Plus maintains antibacterial activity against S. aureus, MRSA, S. epidermidis, MRSE, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae for 17-23 days post-implantation. Clinical trial data (meta-analysis of 31 RCTs with over 14,000 patients) shows approximately 30% reduction in SSI risk with triclosan-coated sutures compared to non-coated equivalents. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, UK) specifically recommends triclosan-coated sutures as part of the SSI prevention care bundle. PDP9262T is a loop suture configuration: two needles attached to the ends of a 150cm strand looped through a single anchor — a format used for certain abdominal wall closure techniques where the loop is threaded through the wound and both needles close the fascia from opposite ends simultaneously. The CTX needle is a large, heavy 1/2 circle taper-point needle suitable for major abdominal fascia. Sara Wellness exports Ethicon antibacterial sutures to surgical distributors internationally.
Ethicon Vicryl Suture USP 0, 1/2 Circle Round Body (NW2346)
The volume of Coated VICRYL suture used in operating theatres around the world on any given day would be difficult to estimate with precision, but it would be very large. This is not an accident. It is the result of fifty years of clinical deployment across general surgery, obstetrics, gynaecology, urology, and orthopaedics, during which time the polyglactin 910 braided absorbable suture has proven itself reliable enough to become the default choice in surgical settings where an absorbable suture is appropriate. Coated VICRYL is a copolymer of 90% glycolide and 10% L-lactide, braided into a multifilament structure and coated with a mixture of polyglactin 370 and calcium stearate. The coating reduces surface friction, which makes tissue passage smoother and knot sliding more controlled than with uncoated braided absorbable materials. The braided structure provides the pliability and knot security that has made it preferred over monofilament alternatives in applications where multiple throws need to slide easily to the tissue surface. NW2346 is USP size 0 (EP 3.5), violet braided, 90cm strand, with a 40mm 1/2 circle round body needle. Size 0 on a round body needle covers a wide range of general surgery and obstetric procedures: uterine closure after caesarean section, bladder repair, bowel anastomosis, deep fascial layers, peritoneal closure, and subcutaneous tissue approximation in procedures where a single suture covers multiple steps. The 90cm strand is the standard length for continuous closure techniques — long enough to complete most single-layer closure runs without running short, without generating the excess material management issues that longer strands create in deep or narrow operative fields. For surgical supply distributors, Coated VICRYL in the size 0 round body configuration is among the highest-volume individual suture lines in any product catalogue. It is reordered at scale by virtually every hospital pharmacy and surgical supply chain that stocks Ethicon products. Sara Wellness exports Ethicon sutures internationally.
Ethicon Vicryl Plus Antibacterial Suture USP 1, 1/2 Circle Round Body (VP2350)
Post-operative wound infection is the variable that surgeons, infection control teams, and hospital administrators have been working to reduce for as long as there have been metrics to track it. Antibiotic prophylaxis covers the systemic side. Skin preparation covers the surface. What has traditionally received less attention is the suture surface itself — a several-centimetre length of braided synthetic material sitting in the wound, exposed to whatever bacteria are present in the operative environment, providing an interstice-rich surface that bacteria can use to establish biofilm before the host inflammatory response can clear them. Ethicon Vicryl Plus is Coated VICRYL (polyglactin 910) suture — the same braided absorbable suture that has been the standard for general soft tissue closure for decades — with the addition of triclosan coating. Triclosan is a broad-spectrum bacteriostatic agent that inhibits bacterial fatty acid synthesis, preventing bacteria from establishing colonisation on the suture surface during the first critical post-operative weeks. VP2350 is USP size 1 (EP 4), violet braided, with a 36-40mm 1/2 circle round body needle and a 90-120cm strand length — a large, heavy suture format designed for major fascial closures, uterine wall closure in caesarean section, bowel anastomosis, and deep abdominal tissue approximation where both tissue support and infection risk management are clinical priorities. The suture maintains the Vicryl absorption profile: 75% tensile strength at 14 days, 50% at 21 days, 25% at 28 days, with complete mass absorption between 56 and 70 days. The braided structure provides the excellent handling and knot security that has made Vicryl the high-volume standard for obstetric, general, and gynaecological surgery. Clinical evidence for triclosan-coated sutures shows approximately 30% reduction in SSI risk across a large meta-analysis, with NICE (UK) recommending triclosan-coated sutures as part of the SSI prevention bundle. Sara Wellness exports Ethicon sutures to surgical distributors internationally.
Ethicon Prolene Suture USP 0, 1/2 Circle Round Body (NW846)
There are materials in surgery that earn their position not through novelty but through decades of consistent, documented performance. Polypropylene suture is one of them. In vascular surgery, cardiac surgery, hernia repair, and any application where the demand is for a suture that remains mechanically stable in tissue for the life of the patient, polypropylene has been the answer for over fifty years. It simply does not degrade. It does not weaken. It sits in tissue with minimal reaction and holds what it was placed to hold. Ethicon Prolene is polypropylene monofilament suture — dyed blue for visibility, with the smooth, slippery tissue passage that is characteristic of polypropylene's surface properties. The monofilament structure eliminates the interstices of braided sutures where bacteria can shelter, and the surface has low coefficient of friction which means tissue trauma during the suture pass is minimal. NW846 is the product code for USP size 0 (EP 3.5), blue monofilament, 90cm strand, fitted with a 30mm 1/2 circle round body taper-point needle. The round body needle — a tapered point pushing through tissue rather than cutting it — is the correct needle choice for soft tissue approximation and vascular anastomosis, where the structural integrity of the tissue around the suture path matters. Size 0 is in the medium-heavy end of the Prolene range, suitable for general abdominal fascia closure, muscle layer approximation, hernia mesh fixation, and the majority of vascular anastomotic work outside the finest microsurgery. The 90cm working length is a considered design decision: long enough for continuous suture techniques in most procedures without creating a management problem, short enough that the suture does not tangle or stretch excessively during deep pelvic or thoracic work. For surgical suture distributors, Prolene in the size 0 round body format is one of the most consistently ordered polypropylene suture configurations in any product catalogue. Sara Wellness exports Ethicon sutures to medical distributors internationally.