Behaviour of synthetic absorbable sutures with and without synergistic enteric infection.

The behaviour of synthetic absorbable sutures, polyglycolic acid (PGA) and polydioxanone (PDS), has been tested in an experimental guinea pig model utilising synergistic enteric bacteria. Braided PDS gave a wound sepsis rate of 42%, monofilament PDS 36%, and PGA 26%, while sepsis rate in the controls was 30%. The dissolution characteristics of PGA and monofilament PDS appeared to be unaffected by the presence of infection, while that of braided PDS was significantly increased. Braided PDS also showed more rapid dissolution characteristics than PGA.