This study was conducted to compare the barbed vs. traditional suture technique in capsular closure of total knee arthroplasty in terms of closure time, cost, needle prick injury, post-operative complication, blood loss and post-operative function.
Eighty patients in a barbed suture group and 90 in a traditional group were enrolled in this prospective randomized study.
Barbed suture was associated with 4.1 minutes (P < 0.001) faster closure. It was found to be cheaper in terms of direct material cost [30.4%]. Needle prick injury was found in 6.7% (P = 0.020) of cases in the traditional group. Blood loss, post-operative complication and post-operative function were comparable in both groups.
Barbed suture use in capsular closure of knee arthroplasty is an efficient and cost effective method, and recommended for use in the future.