Abstract 197

Abstract

Introduction: Despite their ubiquitous use, surgical sutures are foreign bodies which induce a local immune reaction within the adjacent tissues. This in ammatory reaction predisposes the patient to infection and leads to complications including the development of suture granulomas, tunneling, spitting and abscess formation. We introduce a novel biocompatible and biodegradable (poly (ester-amide) 8-Phe-4 polymer (PEA)) material with anti-in ammatory properties that can be used to coat sutures. We hypothesized that two widely used sutures, plain-gut and silk, would elicit a reduced in ammatory response after being coated with PEA when compared to non-coated controls.