Vicryl

Vicryl (polyglactin 910) is an absorbable, synthetic, usually braided suture, manufactured by Ethicon Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson. A monofilament version is also made for use in ophthalmic practice. It is indicated for soft tissue approximation and ligation. The suture holds its tensile strength for approximately two to three weeks in tissue, and is completely absorbed by hydrolysis within 56–70 days.^[1] Vicryl and other polyglycolic-acid sutures may also be treated for more rapid breakdown ("Vicryl Rapide") in rapidly healing tissues such as mucous membrane, or impregnated with triclosan ("Vicryl Plus Antibacterial") to provide antimicrobial protection of the suture line. Because vicryl is slow-absorbing and often braided, its use is contraindicated in closure of any cutaneous wound exposed to the air, as it draws moisture from the healing tissue to the skin and allows bacteria and irritants to migrate into the wound. This inevitably leads to high reactivity to the contaminants, poor wound healing, and eventually infection.^[2]

Vicryl is manufactured in Cornelia, GA.

Although the name "Vicryl" is a trademark of Ethicon, the term "vicryl" has been used generically referring to any synthetic absorbable suture made primarily of polyglycolic acid. Other brands of polyglycolic acid suture include PolySyn, Surgicryl, Polysorb and Dexon, all of which are manufactured by different companies. Vicryl is a copolymer of lactide (a cyclic diester of lactic acid) and glycoside. In practice, vicryl comes as braided, dyed or undyed with the following decay schedule: 75% at 2 weeks, 50% at 3 weeks, and 25% at 4 weeks (i.e., the sutures retain that proportion of tensile strength at those dates).

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