Suture material ethylene oxide

Kolb [203] describes a stepwise gas-extraction procedure called multiple headspace extraction (MHE). Using this method, Kolb found that the determination can be performed with only two extractions. The volume of the sample was compensated for by adding a similar volume of an inert material such as glass beads. Ethylene oxide in surgical silk sutures was determined by this procedure. The extrapolated total area (four steps) was nearly identical to the total area value obtained using the two-step MHE process, 184 versus 183, respectively. 

Ethylene oxide is used for the sterilization of surgical material such as sutures, and it seems that in certain cases it might be held responsible for post-operative complications. Two cases of pseudoaneurysms of reconstructed femoral arteries have been described (27 ) in which ethylene oxide was considered to have damaged the Tetron suture material prior to use. 

---