Biozip SutureGroup 24Katie Good and Emily Schaefer

Advisors:Bruce Beyer, M.D.Paul King, Ph.D.

Problem Statement

Gynecological procedures - confined areasDifficult to apply tensionSuture integrity compromised

Alternative method for closing tissue or pedicles

Require tension in one direction

Desired Qualities

Bioabsorbable Tensile strength

80 – 100 N Degradation time

3 -4 weeks Unidirectional Tension Maintain suture integrity Simple closure procedure

Design Significance

C-section - 1.2 Million surgeries/year Hysterectomy - 600,000 surgeries/year Improved suture design will

Decrease surgery time and therefore potential for infection

Easier closure procedureGreater confidence in suture integrity

Competing Technologies

Traditional suturetension in opposite directions, form

knots Laparoscopic technique

Quik-Stitch® LIGA – CLIPS (Ethicon)

Metal surgical clips Electrocautery

Sealing pedicleshttp://www.paresurgical.com

Twist Tie Approach Vicryl

0 and 2 gaugeBraidedCoated

Dexon3 gaugeBraidedUncoated

Clamp & Fuse

Budget

Hemostat7.25” ~ $21.00

Suture materialVicryl 0 (qty 6) ~ $1.57 eaVircyl 2-0 (qty 6) ~ $1.50 eaDexon 3-0 (qty 3) ~ $15.96 ea

Total ~ $87.30 Heated tweezers ~ $209

Fusing Sutures

Dexondid not fuse

Vicryl3 sutures per trial

Trials

GaugeHeat Setting

Temperature (°F)

Exposure Time (sec)

Tensile Strength

0 7.5 165 40  0 9 198 40  2 7.5 165 402 9 198 40  

Testing Our Sutures Instron Tensiometer

BlueHill software Ideal for < 2kN0.4% accuracy

OutputTensile strengthElongationBreaking Point

Located in VUMC SDRCChttp://www.instron.us/wa/products/universal_material/5840.aspx

Heating Element

Heated TweezersWax ConnectionsPedal controls power

to tweezersNo specific

temperature listed

http://www.waxconnections.com/Page11.html

Current Status

Purchased sutures from Hospital Supply

Fused Vicryl sutures w. hair straightener

Meeting – Dr. DasGupta on ThursdayLearn to use tensiometerTest samples

Meet with Dr. BeyerAsk to tie sutures for comparison

testing

Future Work

Research other heating element options

Research current surgical heating techniques

Dr. Beyer test procedure for ease of application

Paper and poster