Surface Characterization of Antibacterial Coated Sutures

Remember years ago, when the term ‘antibacterial’ was mainly associated with an ointment to lather on to a cut or scrape? Nowadays, from ointment and wipes to body wash and lotion, you see antibacterial products everywhere! When I hear ‘antibacterial,’ the first thing that comes to mind is germ-fighting. In the medical industry, being germ-free and infection-free is obviously of utmost importance!

Surgical site infections (SSI) are caused by germs and bacteria. This is something that always needs to be monitored post-surgery. What do doctors tend to say? “Be sure to keep the area clean and change bandages often”. Cleanliness throughout the surgical process is one of the ways to prevent infection. Another way to reduce the occurrence of SSI is the use of antibacterial coated sutures. Triclosan has been used in coatings on poliglecaprone based sutures. Understanding the surfaces of suture coatings is important for failure analysis and quality control.