Antimicrobial suture cuts surgical site infections
A new product, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December, can help address more than 675,000 surgical site infections that occur each year.1
Vicryl* Plus, manufactured by Ethicon in Somerville, NJ, is the first antimicrobial suture to be marketed in the United States. The suture is coated with triclosan, an antibacterial agent that is proven effective in in vitro studies against staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcus epidermidis, and methicillin-resistant strains of staphylococcus such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus epidermidis, the leading surgical site bacteria.
Because more than 60% of surgical site infections are confined to the incision, the use of a suture coated with an antibacterial agent will reduce infection.1 The triclosan coating will provide protection for a minimum of 48 hours. Triclosan is then absorbed into the bloodstream, metabolized by the liver, and eliminated via the kidneys through the liver. There is no evidence of accumulation over time.2
The suture will be available this year, but at press time, an exact date had not been set, according to an Ethicon spokesperson. The cost of the suture should add less than $10, probably as little as a few dollars, to each surgical procedure.
(Editor’s note: For more information about the Vicryl* Plus Antimicrobial Suture, go to www.ethicon.com and click on Vicryl*Plus.)
References
1. Mangram AJ, Horan TC, Pearson ML, et al. Guideline for prevention of surgical site infection, 1999. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1999; 20:247-248.
2. Barbolt TA. Chemistry and safety of triclosan, and its use as an antibacterial coating on coated VICRYL* Plus Antibacterial Suture (coated polyglactin 910 with triclosan). Surg Site Infect J December 2002 (suppl).
A new product, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in December, can help address more than 675,000 surgical site infections that occur each year.
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