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Polytetrafluoroethylene PTFE as a Suture Material in Tendon Surgery
Published on: October 6, 2022
Absorbable Polydioxanone (PDS) suture provides fewer wound complications than polyester (ethibond) suture in acute
M N Baig1, I Yousaf1, J G Galbraith1
1Department of Orthopaedics, Kerry General Hospital, Tralee Co Kerry, Ireland.
Insights
Polydioxanone sutures significantly reduce infection and improve outcomes in acute Achilles tendon rupture repair compared to polyester sutures. This study highlights absorbable sutures as a superior choice for better patient results.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Biomaterials Science
Background:
- Acute Achilles tendon rupture is a common injury requiring surgical repair.
- Suture material choice may influence post-operative outcomes and complication rates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of Polydioxanone (PDS) absorbable sutures versus Polyester (Ethibond) non-absorbable sutures in repairing acute Achilles tendon ruptures.
- To evaluate differences in infection rates and clinical outcomes (Boyden score) between the two suture groups.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 53 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture over two years.
- Patients were divided into two groups based on suture material used for repair: PDS or Polyester.
- Outcomes including infection rate and Boyden score were assessed with a minimum six-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- The Polyester group had a significantly higher infection rate compared to the PDS group (p=0.001).
- 100% of patients in the PDS group achieved good/excellent results, versus 68.4% in the Polyester group.
- Patients receiving non-absorbable Ethibond sutures exhibited higher infection incidence and poorer Boyden scores.
Conclusions:
- Absorbable Polydioxanone sutures are associated with lower infection rates and superior clinical outcomes in acute Achilles tendon rupture repair.
- Polyester sutures may lead to increased complications and less favorable results in these patients.
Abstract:
We prospectively studied acute Achilles tendon rupture in patients over a two 2-year period and reviewed the causes, outcome and complications. There were 53 patients included with acute Achilles rupture with minimum follow up period of 6 months. We compared the outcomes including infection rate and Boyden score between the two groups repaired by Polydioxanone and Polyester respectively. All infected cases had a suture repair using the polyester suture. The difference in the infection rate was highly significant between the 2 groups (p=0.001). All 34 patients (100%) in the PDS group had good / excellent results based on the Boyden clinical assessment. Conversely, only 16 patients 9(68.4%) had good or excellent results IN Polyester repair group. Patients treated with a non- absorbable suture (ethibond) material for repair had a higher incidence infection and worse Boyden scores than the absorbable PDS group.
