Smart sutures prevent infection, monitor patient recovery

Editor's note

Researchers at Australia-based RMIT University have developed a new antimicrobial suture material that can reduce infections and simplify postoperative monitoring.

Laboratory testing on the surgical suture finds it is easily visible in CT scans and that it has strong antimicrobial properties, killing 99% of highly drug-resistant bacteria after 6 hours at body temperature.

The suture’s properties result from the combination of iodine and tiny nanoparticles (fluorescent carbon dots) throughout the material. The suture can be biodegradable, permanent, or even adhesive on one side.

The suture will help address a challenge faced by surgeons in trying to identify the precise anatomical location of internal meshes on CT scans, especially vaginal mesh implants, the researchers say. The researchers have received funding to begin pre-clinical trials.