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Chitin is an effective material for sutures

The Japanese journal of surgery volume 16, pages 418–424 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

Chitin is an absorbable suture material with suitable mechanical properties. Tissue reaction is not specific and the good healing which ensued provided evidence for a satisfactory biocompatibility. Toxicity tests, including acute toxicity, pyrogenicity, mutagenicity were negative in all respects. The chitin suture was absorbed in about four months in rat muscles. The persistence of the tensile strength of the chitin was better than Dexon (TM) or catgut in bile, urine and pancreatic juice but weakening occurred early in the presence of gastric juice. Application in 132 patients proved satisfactory. Adverse effects were nil.

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Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Electronics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyoku, 113, Tokyo, Japan

    Masaharu Nakajima & Kazuhiko Atsumi

  2. Unitika Research and Development Center, Unitika Ltd., Kyoto, Japan

    Kouji Kifune

  3. Hanzomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Ken Miura

  4. Shida General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan

    Hitoshi Kanamaru

Authors
  1. Masaharu Nakajima
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  2. Kazuhiko Atsumi
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  3. Kouji Kifune
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  4. Ken Miura
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  5. Hitoshi Kanamaru
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Nakajima, M., Atsumi, K., Kifune, K. et al. Chitin is an effective material for sutures. The Japanese Journal of Surgery 16, 418–424 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02470609

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02470609

Key Words

  • chitin
  • clinically absorbable suture
  • tensile strength
  • wound healing