JTATM - North Carolina State University

Advances in Medical Textiles:
Novel suture technologies promote faster & more complete healing than conventional materials

Ben Schmidt, NCSU College of Textiles

adical new innovations were unveiled at the recent gathering of physicians and research scientists from around the globe in Pittsburgh, PA for the inaugural Medical Textiles Conference. Some of these innovations included new suture materials – the focus has been shifted from looking at simply the material to also looking at ways of modifying the filament or enhancement by a new braided structure. Additionally, many advances have come from improving the biocompatibility of the suture material, and making biodegradable sutures more controlled in vivo. The findings of some of the leading researchers in this area were presented last month to a captivated audience.

Presenting on the clinical performance of suture materials was Dr. Dennis Jamiolkowski, from Ethicon. His research looked at the current trend towards less invasive endo- and laparoscopic techniques, and how they place additional demands on the performance of suture materials. Many factors must be considered when designing a suture material – including good knot security, ease of manipulation (appropriate denier), minimal tissue drag, and of course optimal biocompatibility to avoid unwanted inflammatory and/or immune responses. The favorable characteristics of a mono- and multifilament suture were compared, and are summarized below:

Jamiolkowski also described some of the conventional, non-absorbable suture materials (such as stainless steel wire, nylon, polyester) and compared them with the recent advances in absorbables (polyglycolic acid-based, trimethylene carbonate). His presentation was of high interest to suture designers and manufactures, but it also gave a clear view of the issues that can come up in the healthcare sector by the end users.

Along the lines of Jamiolkowski’s findings was the presentation by Dr. C. C. Chu, of Cornell University, on recent developments in sutures for healing. Chu’s research involved looking at several suture brands in use today, and examining their morphological and mechanical differences. He found a number of interesting properties change when non-conventional treatments are applied to the sutures, such as higher strength retention when irradiated at low temperatures (-78ºC). Also, application of small amperage across silver-coated nylon fibers adds anti-microbial characteristics to the sutures. Another aspect of Chu’s research examined the changes in surface morphology of absorbable suture materials, at different points in their biodegradation. For example, multifilament Dexon sutures that were subjected to ?-irradiation and subsequent hydrolytic degradation in a buffer solution showed a regular pattern of surface cracks around the circumference of the fibers:

These findings are very important to researchers, manufacturers, and end users alike, in that the treatments discovered by Chu and his colleagues may lead to novel processing of advanced suture materials.

The first Medical Textiles Conference was a success, as indicated by the presenter turnout and the enthusiasm of the participants. A wide array of different professionals was present – from physicians to researchers to management – but nearly everyone took something new away from this conference, which they might use in their company or lab. Additionally, the organizers of the conference did a tremendous job of coordinating the proceedings, as well as garnering highly respected and interesting speakers. Everyone is looking forward to next year, to what hopefully will be established as one of the leading Medical conferences of the year.

About the author:
Ben Schmidt is a student at North Carolina State University in the College of Textiles. He is studying Polymer Color and Chemistry, with a focus on Medical Textiles and a minor in Biotechnology. He has done extensive research in polymer synthesis and characterization, as well as fiber spinning and extrusion. Ben’s research on PEI and PET has been published in the Journal of Polymer Science, Part B: Polymer Physics.