HIGH EFFICIENCY COATING MATERIAL IN ANTIBACTERIAL SURGICAL SUTURES: CHLORHEXIDINE

HIGH EFFICIENCY COATING MATERIAL IN ANTIBACTERIAL SURGICAL SUTURES: CHLORHEXIDINE

Sutures can cause severe surgical site infections due to the effects of capillaries on the wounds the bacteria are spreading. Antibacterial sutures can prevent these complications by inhibiting bacterial pathogens. Recently; triclosan resistance has been reported, and subsequently, alternative agents have been found clinically feasible. Chlorhexidine has also started to be used in this direction.

In the initial feasibility studies chlorhexidine-coated sutures have been shown to be highly effective against S. aureus. Antibacterial sutures should maintain a balance of biological compatibility between the inhibitory bacteria and the surrounding eukaryotic tissue cells. In agar plate diffusion tests, antibacterial activity was determined using Staphylococcus aureus, the main pathogen of implanta-bound infections.

Tensile strength value of chlorhexidine coated single surgical sutures (n = 5) was determined according to European Pharmacopoeia (minimum 50.8 N required for USP 1 sutures). The tensile strength values of all the sutures tested proved to have an average maximum strength value higher than the EP standard.

Surgical site infection is still an important complication in the operations. Sutures can cause suture related infections, which are induced by the proliferation of adherent pathogens. Adhesive bacteria enter the wound by capillary action and form biofilms, causing chronic infections. Antibacterial coatings for surgical sutures can solve this problem by preserving sutures by inhibiting bacterial growth and they can result in significant cost savings. What is important in this direction is the widespread use of antibacterial sutures that are biocompatible for eukaryotic cells, providing effective protection against bacterial infection.