Floor plan - 2013 Annual Meeting - American Association for Hand ...

Comparison of FiberLoop and Supramid in Zone II Flexor Tendon Repair Using a Cyclic Protocol
Institution where the work was prepared: Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
Aaron Anderson, MD; S. Chase Donnelly; Richard Drake, PhD; Kathleen Derwin, PhD; Jeff Lawton, MD; Cleveland Clinic
INTRODUCTION:
Many suture methods and materials are used for zone II flexor tendon repairs. The ideal repair should be strong enough to allow early
range of motion while facilitating tendon glide through the pulley system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences
in gap formation and failure load between FiberLoop (Arthrex Inc., Naples, FL) and Supramid (S. Jackson Inc., Alexandria, VA) sutures
in zone II flexor tendon repairs using a human cadaveric model under cyclic loading.
METHODS:
Twenty paired flexor tendons from human, cadaveric hands were used to test the repair strength of FiberLoop versus Supramid suture.
FDP Tendons were obtained from the ring, middle, and index fingers, transected in zone II, and repaired with either 4-0 FiberLoop or
4-0 looped Supramid suture using a standard 8-strand cruciate repair technique followed by a running epitendinous 6-0 prolene suture.
The repaired tendons were then clamped and mounted on a material testing system (MTS, Eden Prairie MN) preloaded to 2N and
cycled 8000 times between 2N and 25N at a frequency of 1 Hz. Specimens were then pulled at a rate of 12mm/min until failure, defined
as either the maximum load or a point corresponding to a drop in load of 10% or more of maximum during the failure test. Suture markers
were placed on both sides of the repair site to analyze gap formation across the repair during testing with an optical system.
Outcome measures included gap formation at 8000 cycles and failure load. Statistical differences were analyzed using a paired t-test
(p