Rate of breaking strength loss of absorbable sutures in the stomach.

Plain and chromic catgut, Dexon, and Vicryl were exposed to the acid-pepsin secretions of the stomach in vivo in dogs. No plain gut was recovered in 24 hours; chromic was found as long as 48 hours after implantation but the breaking strength was reduced markedly. Dexon and Vicryl lost strength slowly in a curve similar to the loss after implantation in other tissues.