Sutures and Wound Repair/ General Surgery (ABSA) Practice Test

The term that describes the amount of weight or pull necessary to break suture or ligature material is referred to as tensile strength. Tensile strength is a critical property of suture materials because it determines how much force the sutures can withstand before failing. This characteristic is essential in surgical settings, as sutures need to hold tissues together securely under various conditions, including healing and mobility of the surrounding tissues.

In contrast, the concepts of knot strength, suture integrity, and elongation, while relevant to suturing, do not directly measure the breaking point of the suture material itself. Knot strength refers to how well the suture holds together when tied, suture integrity deals with the overall condition and performance of the suture material, and elongation pertains to how much the material stretches before breaking. While these aspects contribute to the performance of sutures, they are not the definitive measure of the breaking force, making tensile strength the correct term for this specific property.