Journal Summary 4

Bacterial Adherence to Surgical Sutures: Can Antibacterial-coated Sutures Reduce the Risk of Microbial Contamination?

Surgical site infections are associated with severe morbidity and mortality, and data do suggest that suture material may represent a nidus for bacterial colonization. A triclosan-coated polyglactin 910 suture has been developed in an attempt to prevent contamination of the surgical suture and, in turn, reduce postoperative surgical site infections. This study has assessed bacterial adherence and antibacterial activity of this triclosan-coated suture material in an in vitro model against selected Gram-positive and -negative clinical isolates that may infect surgical wounds. Compared with non-coated controls, substantial (p<0.01) reductions were observed in the adherence of the 3 bacterial species examined (Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, and Escherichia coli) on the triclosan-coated suture. Pretreatment with 20% bovine serum albumin (BSA) did not diminish anti-bacterial activity (p<0.01 vs noncoated control suture) and antibacterial activity was demonstrated to persist for at least 96 hours (p<0.01 vs noncoated control suture). This study clearly indicates that triclosan-coated sutures exhibit an inhibitory effect against bacteria commonly cultured from surgical wounds.

Edmiston CE, Seabrook GR, Goheen MP, et al. J Am Coll Surg. 2006;203:481-489.

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