Effect of Four Different Suture Materials on the Surgical Wound Healing of Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta caretta

The tissue reaction to four suture materials placed in the skin of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, was evaluated both grossly and histologically. Chromic gut, polyglyconate, polyglactin 910, and poliglecaprone 25 were used in 258 turtles to close a wound produced at the time of laparoscopic sex determination. Gross tissue reactions were graded in 68 turtles at one week, and in the remaining 190 turtles at two weeks following surgery. Gross observations (eversion formation, holding of sutures, epibiont [organisms growing on suture site] present and crusts) were graded from one to three with one being mild and three being most severe. Gross observation scores did not differ among suture types. Crust scores were significantly greater for chromic gut and for polyglactin than for poliglecaprone 25 and polyglyconate. At the suture site, 32% of the turtles had an eversion in the incision ranging in size from 0.25 to 10 mm2 [mean 2.02 (+/1.95) mm2]. Eversion size did not vary significantly among suture types. Change in the body weight of the turtles at 16-18 days following surgery ranged from -12.6 g to 77.9 g [mean 23.1 (+/13.8) g]. The amount of weight change did not vary significantly among suture types used. One week after surgery, 20 additional turtles (five from each suture group), were selected for skin biopsies. Suture tract, dermal, and panniculus inflammation, along with crust formation were graded histologically on a zero to three scale, with zero being none and three being most severe. Histologically, polyglactin 910 was assigned more grade three scores than any other suture type, however this was only statistically significant for panniculus inflammation. Poliglecaprone 25 and polyglyconate caused the least tissue reaction of the four suture types examined in sea turtle skin.