1. Rupture of a polypropylene suture after aortic operation: a scanning electronic microscopical assessment of potential mechanisms 
Christoph Huber, MD, Friedrich S Eckstein, MD, Marcel Halbeisen, PhD, Thierry P Carrel, MD 
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery 
Volume 75, Issue 4, Pages (April 2003)
DOI: /S (02)

2. Fig 1
Original polypropylene suture with one cut end (A) and two ruptured ends (B, C), as well as the intact knot area (D) visualized by light microscopy. Lower half (A–D) showing scanning electronic microscopy pictures of the corresponding suture parts.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (02) )

3. Fig 2
(A) Unexplained ruptured 4-0 polypropylene suture (present case, same as Fig 1C). Experimental suture damage: (B) result by manual slow pulling; (C) ruptured after fast automatic pulling (5 m/min); (D) thermal damage by electrocoagulation with very short contact time; (E) impression after soft compression with surgical ring-tweezers; (F) damage after application of a traumatic arterial clamp.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery  , DOI: ( /S (02) )