Effect of chitosan coating on surgical sutures to strengthen the colonic anastomosis

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the feasibility of chitosan-coated sutures for intestinal anastomosis strength through wound-healing effect. METHODS: Vicryl and PDS sutures were coated with 2% chitosan. While laparotomy was applied to the first group, chitosan was applied in the peritoneal cavity in the second group. Then the following materials were applied to colon anastomosis, in order: Vicryl, PDS, chitosan-coated Vicryl, and chitosan-coated PDS sutures. On the 7th and 14th days, eight rats from each group were euthanized. RESULTS: The adhesion scores of chitosan and control groups were lower than the suture groups. The vascularization of Vicryl-chitosan was lower than PDS-chitosan on the 14th day (p=0.038). Fibroblast cells and vascularization of anastomosis with chitosan-coated Vicryl were lower than Vicryl and chitosan-coated PDS on the 14th day (p<0.05). The tensile strength of Vicryl-chitosan increased more than Vicryl in vitro (p<0.05) on the 14th and 7th days, but there was no difference in vivo. The tensile strength of PDS-chitosan decreased more than PDS on the 7th day in vivo (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The chitosan-coating effect on the adhesion and reinforcement of anastomosis in some parts of Vicryl in vitro and PDS in vivo was slightly improved.