Vertical mattress stitch (shorthand method)

To place a vertical mattress suture using the shorthand method, the needle is initially inserted at the epidermal/dermal (near-near) edges as if performing a simple interrupted suture. This near-near portion of the suture loop everts the edges of the wound. The needle is then rotated 180° in the needle holder, and the direction of the suture loop is reversed (backhanded). The needle entrance is at a distance from the wound edge, crossing through the dermal tissue and exiting through the skin on the opposite side at an equal distance from the wound edge. This is the far-far portion. This stitch approximates the dermal structures.