Surgical technique. The ambidextrous surgeon's knot: an alternate way to tie the surgeon's knot.

© 2007 Association médicale canadienne T surgeon’s knot is a well-established knot in surgical practice, known to provide unsurpassed grip and security for the tissue tied. It is particularly useful with slippery monofilament suture materials. Traditional tying of the surgeon’s knot involves a cumbersome technique of repeating throws to complete the double loops of each hitch. We describe a 2-handed singlethrow technique, which produces the 2 loops of each throw simultaneously. In tying an ambidextrous surgeon’s knot, the surgeon must be able to perform an “index finger” and “middle finger” throw with both the right and left hands independently, thus resulting in a much simpler and elegant set of movements. We do not claim that this technique is unique to us, but we hope to popularize it through this article.