Augmentation of a knit structure with increased suture retention and poly (glycerol sebacate) coating for rotator cuff repair graft applications

Abstract

Rotator cuff repair can be augmented through the use of a patch or graft. The ideal graft aim is to withstand the mechanical forces imposed on the torn tendon as well as induce healing and repair. The study demonstrates the application of Secant Medical's Knit Mesh as a rotator cuff patch and augments both the suture retention and biologic compatibility through the design of a suture buttress and poly (glycerol sebacate) coating, respectively. The materials and methods involved coated and uncoated knit specimens that were tested to failure in tension to determine their material properties. The suture retention of the coated and uncoated knit as well as the buttress augmented construct were tested until failure and evaluated through peak analysis. The outcome shows that the knit was successfully coated resulting in increased mechanical and suture retention properties. The addition of the buttress increased the suture retention of the unaugmented knit significantly. In conclusion, the combination of the coating and buttress resulted in a rotator cuff graft construct. The coating provided mechanical benefits in addition to the research based biologic benefit. Further research must be conducted to better integrate a buttress-like structure into the knit, decreasing the microbreaks and potentially increasing the maximum load into physiologically relevant ranges.%%%%M.S., Biomedical Engineering – Drexel University, 2015