Table 5.
General Comparison of Absorbable Sutures
| Suture | Configuration | Relative Tensile Strength | Tissue Reactivity | Handling | Memory | Absorption | Degradation Mode |
| Plain surgical gut | Twisted | Weak | High | Fair | Low | Unpredictable | Proteolytic |
| Chromic surgical gut | Twisted | Weak | High | Fair | Low | Unpredictable | Proteolytic |
| Fast-absorbing coated polyglactin 910 (Vicryl Rapide™) | Braided | Weak | Low | Best | Low | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Coated polyglactin 910 (Vicryl™) | Braided | Good | Low | Best | Low | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Coated polyglycolide (Dexon II™) | Braided | Good | Low | Best | Low | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Polyglytone 6211 (Caprosyn™) | Monofilament | Weak | Low | Good | Low | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Poliglecaprone 25 (Monocryl™) | Monofilament | Good | Low | Good | Low | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Barbed poliglecaprone 25 (Monoderm™) | Barbed Monofilamemt | Good | Low | Good | Low | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Glycomer 631 (Biosyn™) | Monofilament | Good | Low | Good | Low | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Polyglyconate (Maxon™) | Monofilament | Strong | Low | Fair | High | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Polydioxanone (PDS II™) | Monofilament | Strong | Low | Fair | High | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
| Barbed polydioxanone (PDO) | Barbed Monofilament | Strong | Low | Fair | High | Predictable | Hydrolytic |
Monoderm, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Vancouver, Canada; Biosyn, Caprosyn, Dexon II, and Maxon, Covidien AG, Mansfield, MA; Monocryl, PDS II, Vicryl, and Vicryl Rapide, Ethicon, Inc., Somerville, NJ.