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Vicryl Plus sutures may better reduce wound infections
Compared with the use of traditional Vicryl sutures, Vicryl Plus sutures may better reduce the incidence of wound infection following spinal surgery, according to the results of a recently published study.
Researchers conducted a retrospective, nonrandomized, clinical study including 405 patients who underwent a spinal surgical procedure at two university hospitals. Two hundred patients had wound closure with Vicryl Plus sutures (triclosan-coated polyglactin 910 sutures, Ethicon) and 205 patients had wound closure with traditional Vicryl sutures (polyglactin 910 sutures, Ethicon). The difference in mean age (57.4 years vs. 56.8 years) and the average BMI (23 vs. 24) between the two groups were not statistically significant, according to the researchers.
The researchers performed statistical comparisons of wound infection rates, dehiscence and risk factors for poor wound healing or infection between the two groups.
Results showed only one patient in the triclosan-coated polyglactin 910 suture group developed an infection, compared with eight patients (3.9%) in the traditional suture group. The difference in infection between the two groups was statistically significant, the researchers reported.
Although the coated sutures were more expensive than traditional sutures, the researchers noted infections in patients can also result in a large economic loss. For example, the cost to treat a patient with a shunt infection would be about $25,000 per case, whereas the additional cost to use the coated sutures would be about $5 more in the wound closure for cerebrospinal fluid shunting. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.