CORR Insights^®: Are Barbed Sutures Associated With 90-day Reoperation Rates After Primary TKA?

Excerpt

Austin and colleagues performed a retrospective analysis of a longitudinal, single-institutional primary TKA database and found that there was no association between suture type (barbed suture vs. standard interrupted suture) and 90-day all-cause reoperations. However, the study did find that barbed sutures were associated with a greater risk of arthrotomy failure. The authors conclude, appropriately, that this is a finding that needs further exploration since using barbed sutures for arthrotomy closure is widespread, and that having a larger sample size would be essential for better examination of the relationships between suture type and 90-day all-cause reoperations and arthrotomy failures. …