Effect of Suture Purchase on Biomechanical Characteristics in Barbed Sutures

Abstract The effects of the purchase length on the maximum tensile strength (MTS) and 2mm gap resistance (2 mmGR) of barbed and polypropylene (PP) sutures were investigated. A total of 24 sheep flexor tendons were divided into four groups. Increasing the suture purchase from 1 cm to 2 cm resulted in 58.3% vs. 157.5% increase in 2mmGR for PP and barbed sutures, respectively. While the repair with a 1cm suture purchase using barbed sutures is weaker than the PP group (8.1N vs. 12.1N)(p=0.445), when the suture purchase is increased to 2 cm, a comparable tensile strength is obtained in terms of 2 mmGR (20.7N vs. 19.9N) (p = 0.971). Compared to PP sutures, the tensile force achieved with barbed sutures grows exponentially as the distance traveled through the tendon increases. Consequently, barbed sutures provide comparable tensile force for flexor tendon repair when suture purchase is increased. Level of evidence: V