Short-term vancomycin and buffer soaking does not change rabbit achilles tendon tensile material properties

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Allograft tendons are crucial for orthopedic tissue reconstruction.
• Vancomycin antibiotic soaks reduce post-operative infection risk.
• Limited data exists on sub-failure mechanical properties of antibiotic-soaked allografts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of vancomycin antibiotic soaks on allograft tendon mechanical properties.
• To characterize sub-failure material properties after antibiotic treatment.
• To validate current clinical practices regarding antibiotic soaks.

Main Methods:

• Rabbit tendons were dissected and soaked in vancomycin/PBS or PBS solutions for 5 or 30 minutes.
• Quasi-static tensile experiments were conducted using a materials testing system.
• Key mechanical properties including elastic modulus and transition stress/strain were measured.

Main Results:

• The average elastic modulus was 455 ± 37 MPa.
• Average transition strain was 0.0487 ± 0.0035, and transition stress was 9.71 ± 0.79 MPa.
• No statistically significant differences in material properties were observed based on soaking solution or duration.

Conclusions:

• Antibiotic soaks (vancomycin) up to 30 minutes do not adversely affect allograft tendon tensile properties.
• These findings support the continued use of antibiotic soaks in clinical practice.
• Preservation of mechanical integrity is confirmed for antibiotic-treated allografts.