Surgical time for graft preparation using different suture techniques

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Biomedical engineering
• Surgical techniques

Background:

• Graft preparation is a critical step in reconstructive surgery.
• Optimizing operative time for graft suturing can improve surgical efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the operative time for graft preparation using three distinct suture techniques.
• To evaluate the efficiency of the Modified Finger-Trap (MFT) suture in comparison to Krackow and Whipstitch methods.

Main Methods:

• Flexor profundus tendons from porcine hind legs were used.
• Three suture techniques were tested: Krackow stitch (K), Whipstitch (W), and Modified Finger-Trap (MFT).
• Operative time for each suture technique was measured by five independent examiners on three separate occasions.

Main Results:

• The MFT suture technique required a mean of 29.3 seconds, significantly less time than Krackow (69.1 seconds) and Whipstitch (59.9 seconds) (p < 0.05).
• Intraobserver reliability was high, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.72 to 0.83.
• The MFT technique demonstrated superior efficiency in graft preparation time.

Conclusions:

• The Modified Finger-Trap suture requires significantly less time for graft preparation in a porcine tendon model.
• The MFT suture offers a time-saving advantage over Krackow and Whipstitch techniques for graft setup.
• Reduced graft preparation time using the MFT suture can be a valuable clinical advantage.