ABSTRACT
Suturing is the fundamental method by which surgeons have repaired injury, stopped bleeding, and approximated tissues from the earliest recorded histories. In addition, suturing is often used as a yardstick in measuring surgical skill, laparoscopic dexterity, and mastery of complex, minimally invasive surgeries. Over 63 million surgeries are performed annually in the US and this number will probably continue to rise as the population ages and expands. Suturing is integral to every surgical procedure and it is therefore appropriate that a serious discussion of the methods that minimally invasive surgeons utilize, the rationale for such techniques, the historical contexts, and the evolution of current methods are considered in this chapter. Finally, modern methods that will improve our abilities to augment the dexterity required to perform these complex minimally invasive procedures, including robotic surgery and endoluminal or transluminal surgical suturing, conclude the chapter. Writing about suturing is fraught with the classic ‘Catch 22’ of how much to include versus what to exclude. Proceeding from the editorial limit on this chapter, a few words must be used to contribute a maximum towards epistemology.
