Tying One-handed square knots

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rocketbooster

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Taught myself using this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTxT60u2Lj0

The problem is when I did in the OR my attending kept telling me not to move my right hand. He said always keep tension on the suture with the right hand and tie the knot around that thread using your left hand. The guy in the video is constantly rotating both hands/wrists.

I've been trying to do that by following the steps in that video but without moving my right hand. The problem is it doesn't really turn out as a square knot without crossing the suture with both hands as you're tightening it either at the first half hitch or 2nd half hitch. How do you cross the sutures in order to form the square knot while holding the right side still? Obviously there is a way since I see every attending do it haha...unless they're actually poor square knots. I doubt that's the case, though ha. Does anyone understand what I'm trying to ask?

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Taught myself using this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTxT60u2Lj0

The problem is when I did in the OR my attending kept telling me not to move my right hand. He said always keep tension on the suture with the right hand and tie the knot around that thread using your left hand. The guy in the video is constantly rotating both hands/wrists.

I've been trying to do that by following the steps in that video but without moving my right hand. The problem is it doesn't really turn out as a square knot without crossing the suture with both hands as you're tightening it either at the first half hitch or 2nd half hitch. How do you cross the sutures in order to form the square knot while holding the right side still? Obviously there is a way since I see every attending do it haha...unless they're actually poor square knots. I doubt that's the case, though ha. Does anyone understand what I'm trying to ask?

In the video the guy moves his hands, but he does all the tying with his left hand. If you try to tie pericardial stays or anything else under tension you will have to keep the non-tying limb taught. Learn the basics of the throws then worry about doing it while under tension.

Realistically I just do 2 throws in the same direction, pull tension, then lock it on the third.
 
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In the video the guy moves his hands, but he does all the tying with his left hand. If you try to tie pericardial stays or anything else under tension you will have to keep the non-tying limb taught. Learn the basics of the throws then worry about doing it while under tension.

Realistically I just do 2 throws in the same direction, pull tension, then lock it on the third.

Yea I already know how to do the throws. I just need to work on the tension part.

When you say 2 throws in the same direction, do you mean you do 2 first half itch throws? And by locking on the 3rd, is that the second half hitch that the guy does in the video? You lock it by doing the 2nd half hitch and then crossing them? Sorry I'm confused on the lingo. I'm just confused how it becomes a square knot based on the way you described since you didn't mention anything about crossing it. Thanks for the clarification.
 
There are so many ways to do them, and a lot of the time it will be the preference of your attending. This video might help you though. It's a little less "user friendly," but if you practice along with him, I think you should be able to get it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG2DQFGtOQY

He shows several different knots, but I'd skip to around 7:10 in order to see the one you need to learn. Your non-dom hand should only be holding tension, and this will show you how to do that.
 
Realistically I just do 2 throws in the same direction, pull tension, then lock it on the third.

Okay I get what you're saying now after watching the residents tie in the OR yesterday. Yea you throw 2 in the same direction and then "lock" it by throwing one in the opposite direction. That's for your first knot. After that you just keep throwing them in alternating directions only, no 2 in same direction after the first knot. Got it down now. Thanks.
 
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