Abstract
Introduction
Topical agents are sometimes applied to surgical wounds after closure; these may include antiseptics or antibiotics. Minimal research has been undertaken to investigate the effect of topical regimens on the tensile strength of suture materials.
Aim
To investigate the effect of four commonly used wound care regimens on the tensile strength of suture materials.
Methods
The failure load of 9 different suture materials was tested using the Instron Electroplus E3000 tensile testing machine (Instron Corporation, Norwood, Massachusetts). Tensile strength was represented as the failure load, measured in Newtons (N), and defined as the maximal load that could be applied across the suture prior to failure. Each suture was tested dry and after immersion in one of 4 products for 7 days and tested on day 7. The immersion agents tested were: sodium chloride 0.9%, MicroSafe® (Sonoma Pharmaceuticals, Petaluma, CA), Aqueous Povidone-iodine 10% solution (Betadine—Mundipharma), and Fucidin ointment.
Results
Sodium chloride 0.9%, MicroSafe®, Aqueous Povidone-iodine 10%, and Fucidin seem to increase the failure load of most absorbable and non-absorbable sutures. However, the failure load of Polyglactin 910 suture (Surgilactin, coated, violet-Ethicon) is reduced by long-term exposure to either sodium chloride 0.9% or MicroSafe®, while the failure load of the Polydioxanone suture (PDS Plus-Ethicon) is reduced by long-term exposure to MicroSafe® only.
Conclusion
In our experiment, the commonly used wound care products have been shown to alter the tensile strength of suture materials. Further human studies are required to ascertain the clinical validity and applicability of our findings.
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Data Availability
Original data and analysis are available upon request of the journal.
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Funding
We would like to acknowledge Kuwait University for providing an initiation grant to cover the expenses of conducting the experiment under project number ZM02/18.
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Alnaqi, A., Burhamah, W., Al-Sultan, A.T. et al. The Effect of Topical Agents on the Tensile Strength of Absorbable and Non-absorbable Suture Materials—An in Vitro Study. World J Surg 47, 448–454 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-022-06788-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-022-06788-3