Use of locking barbed sutures in foot and ankle surgery. A case series

Ziyaad Mayet; Hooman Eshraghi; Paulo N F Ferrao; Nikiforos P Saragas

doi:10.1016/j.fas.2016.04.003

Use of locking barbed sutures in foot and ankle surgery. A case series

Foot Ankle Surg. 2017 Mar;23(1):57-61. doi: 10.1016/j.fas.2016.04.003. Epub 2016 Apr 23.

Authors

Ziyaad Mayet¹, Hooman Eshraghi², Paulo N F Ferrao³, Nikiforos P Saragas³

Affiliations

¹ Fellow in Foot and Ankle Surgery, Linksfield Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa; Chris-Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa; Orthopaedic Department, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: bonedoc.zm@gmail.com.
² Fellow in Foot and Ankle Surgery, Linksfield Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa; Orthopaedic Department, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
³ Netcare Linksfield Orthopaedic Sports & Rehabilitation Centre (Clinic), Johannesburg, South Africa; Orthopaedic Department, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

PMID: 28159045
DOI: 10.1016/j.fas.2016.04.003

Abstract

Background: Barbed sutures represent a novel technique for wound closure. By distributing tension forces across the length of a wound, it results in better wound healing. A recent article from Chowdhry et al. cautioned against the use of barbed sutures in foot and ankle surgery. Our experience with the Quill^® (Angiotech, Vancouver, BC) barbed suture, showed a more positive outcome.

Materials and methods: 123 surgical wounds were prospectively followed up after closure with a bidirectional barbed suture. The cohort represented a large range of patient ages and co-morbidities, as well as incision length and locations.

Results: Complication rates were low in this large cohort. The total complication rate was 6.5% (8 wounds). One wound (0.8%) had a major infection that needed further surgery, and 2 wounds (1.6%) showed inflammatory related complications. The remaining 5 wounds (4%) had minor wound complications, which resolved without any further surgical intervention. Patient satisfaction rates were high, with 78% of incisions scoring at maximum on the visual analogue cosmesis score.

Conclusions: Use of the Quill^® (Angiotech, Vancouver, BC) suture is a safe and effective alternative for wound closure in foot and ankle surgery.

Keywords: Ankle; Barbed suture; Foot; Quill.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cohort Studies
Female
Foot / surgery*
Foot Joints / surgery*
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Patient Satisfaction
Postoperative Complications / epidemiology*
Sutures*
Treatment Outcome
Wound Closure Techniques*
Young Adult