Evaluation of Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty Incision Closure with the Use of Continuous Bidirectional Barbed Suture

The purpose of this study is to determine whether operative time for primary total knee arthroplasty can be decreased with the use of a continuous barbed suture. Five hundred patients were retrospectively reviewed and divided into groups based on whether incision closure utilized a continuous barbed suture or an interrupted biodegradable suture. We identified additional variables to determine their relationship to operative time, including body mass index, age, gender, and side of replacement. The results demonstrated a decrease in operative time by an average of 4 minutes (P < .001) with the use of barbed suture, without an associated increase in complications. Statistically significant relationships were found between operative time and variables such as body mass index, age, and gender, but not side of replacement.