Bahnick Alexander J, Ruppert David, Krisanic Gabriella A, Everitt Jeffrey I, Fowler Vance G, Levinson Howard, Becker Matthew L
Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States.
Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, United States.
Biomacromolecules. 2025 Mar 10;26(3):1709-1724. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01491. Epub 2025 Feb 7.
Mesh suture is an emerging technology for closing high-tension soft tissue wounds. However, bulky mesh surgical knots can irritate surrounding tissue and harbor bacteria, leading to an increased risk of infection and palpability. Thus, a degradable knotless anchoring system is needed to secure mesh sutures. Here, novel anchor clip devices are fabricated continuous liquid interface production (CLIP) three-dimensional (3D) printing using poly(propylene fumarate--propylene succinate) (PPFPS) oligomers. Thiol-ene cross-linking yields fully degradable thermoset devices with tunable mechanical properties. For comparison, high-resolution anchor clips are also fabricated traditional injection molding using poly(l-lactide--glycolide) (PLGA). The PLGA anchor clips show similar mechanical performance to predicate soft tissue fixation techniques in a benchtop abdominal wall reconstruction model. Both PLGA and PPFPS anchor clips demonstrate satisfactory biocompatibility in a porcine abdominal implantation model. This work outlines the development of bioresorbable anchor clips for soft tissue fixation and illustrates their potential for clinical translation.
