Ex vivo comparison of 7 polydioxanone, 2 polyglactin 910 for closure of ventral median celiotomy in horses.
Authors: Anderson Stacy L, Bracamonte José L, Hendrick Steve, Carmalt James L, Wilson David G
Journal: Veterinary surgery : VS
Summary
# Ex vivo comparison of polydioxanone and polyglactin 910 for equine celiotomy closure Ventral median celiotomy represents one of the most common surgical approaches in equine abdominal surgery, yet optimal suture material selection for closure remains contentious. Anderson and colleagues conducted an ex vivo biomechanical study using ten equine cadavers to directly compare the bursting strength and failure characteristics of USP 7 braided polydioxanone (7PD) against USP 2 polyglactin 910 (2PG) in simple continuous closure patterns. When abdominal wall constructs were pressurised to failure using an intra-abdominal bladder, polyglactin failed predominantly at the suture itself (4 of 5 specimens), whereas polydioxanone consistently failed at the abdominal wall tissue (0 suture failures), indicating substantially superior material strength and knot security. After controlling for cadaver age—which significantly influenced results, particularly for polydioxanone—the 7PD group demonstrated significantly higher bursting strength than 2PG (P = 0.024). For practitioners, these findings suggest that polydioxanone offers biomechanical advantages in withstanding postoperative loading forces and abdominal pressure spikes, potentially reducing dehiscence risk; however, the marked age-related variation warrants consideration when applying these results to geriatric patients undergoing celiotomy.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Use USP 7 polydioxanone rather than USP 2 polyglactin 910 for ventral celiotomy closure in horses, as it provides superior bursting strength and reduces risk of suture failure
- •Be aware that older horses may have reduced abdominal wall integrity; select suture material with higher bursting strength in geriatric patients undergoing celiotomy
- •When 7PD is used, failure occurs at the abdominal wall (tissue level) rather than at the suture, suggesting the limiting factor becomes tissue quality rather than suture strength
Key Findings
- •Polydioxanone (7PD) demonstrated significantly higher bursting strength than polyglactin 910 (2PG) when age effects were controlled (P = 0.024)
- •Suture failure was the primary failure mode for 2PG (4 of 5 celiotomies), whereas all 7PD closures failed at the abdominal wall rather than at the suture
- •Increasing age was highly negatively correlated with bursting strength in 7PD closures (r = -0.99)
- •Failure mode differed significantly between suture types (P = 0.01)