Comparison of Wicking effect of different sutures: An in vitro study

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the wicking properties of different multifilament sutures. Materials and Methods: Polyglycolic acid (PGA) 4-0 sutures and black silk sutures were placed in sheep blood agar media for 24 h and then suspended on a microscope slide. Fluorescein isoothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-D) was placed at the mid-point of the sutures and observed using fluorescence microscopy. The experiments were repeated, and the amount of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was measured every 8 h. Results: We observed no growth of Escherichia coli on the silk sutures after 24 h. In contrast, the concentration of S. aureus was approximately >100 CFU/µL, 60–80 CFU/µL, and 30 CFU/µL at 8, 16, and 24 h, respectively. For the PGA 4-0 suture, S. aureus concentration was >100 CFU/µL, 30–40 CFU/µL, and 30–40 CFU/µL at 8, 16, and 24 h, respectively and that of E. coli was >100 CFU/µL, 35 CFU/µL, and 27 CFU/µL at 8, 16, and 24 h respectively. The wicking effect of the black silk sutures thus resulted in 70% growth of S. aureus and no growth of E. coli, and the wicking effect of the PGA sutures resulted in 70% more growth of S. aureus compared to that on silk, whereas the growth of E. coli was 35%.