Novafil. A dynamic suture for wound closure.

Abdominal wound dehiscence was quantitatively studied in a rat model. Polybutester suture is a new monofilament nonabsorbable suture that has unique stress-strain properties that are potentially beneficial for abdominal wound closure. The abdominal volume at the moment of wound dehiscence was correlated with the extensibility of the suture material used for closure. Interrupted sutures of polybutester cut through the tissues at a mean abdominal volume of 212 +/- 3 ml. This volume was significantly (p less than or equal to 0.005) greater than the mean volumes reached with nylon (197 +/- 3 ml) or polyglycolic acid (187 +/- 4 ml). Closure of abdomens with continuous polybutester suture resulted in a mean rupture volume of 218 +/- 3 ml, which was significantly (p less than or equal to 0.005) greater than that achieved with the same suture employed as simple interrupted sutures (212 +/- 4 ml). The influence of width of tissue bite, suture size, and needle configuration was also evaluated.