Absorbable Wound Closure Device Offers Knotless Tissue Repair

A knotless wound closure device uses a unidirectional barbed thread with a loop at the start, anchoring itself securely at the beginning of the incision.

The V-Loc 90 device builds on the success of the V-Loc 180 device, the first surgical device of its kind to feature unidirectional barbed technology. The device's unique and proprietary self-anchoring loop and barb combination enables surgeons to close dermal wounds quickly and securely, without tying knots or changing standard closure techniques; this results in a more even distribution of tension, with wounds closing more quickly than with conventional sutures. The V-Loc 180 device holds the wound edges together securely for the critical wound healing period, with absorption substantially complete within 180 days.


The V-Loc 90 device contains faster absorbing material than the V-Loc 180, and thus absorption is essentially complete within 90 to 110 days. This makes it suitable for dermal and laparoscopic applications where a shorter absorption time is needed or preferred, such as in plastic reconstructive surgery, gynecologic surgery, and general surgery. Both V-Loc devices close wounds up to 50% faster than conventional sutures of comparable holding strength. The V-Loc 90 and The V-Loc 180 are products of Covidien (Dublin, Ireland), and have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the European Community (CE Marking).

"With this new addition to our knotless wound closure portfolio, surgeons have an even broader array of choices for closing surgical incisions safely, quickly and effectively,” said Michel Therin, vice president of soft tissue repair and biosurgery at Covidien. "The V-Loc 90 device is designed to provide better patient outcomes through the fast absorption of the product following the critical wound healing period after surgery.”

"I have used the V-Loc 180 wound closure device for approximately one year in a wide variety of plastic reconstructive and aesthetic procedures and find it especially beneficial for closing long wounds,” said Klaus Walgenbach, M.D., of University Hospital Bonn (Germany). "The V-Loc device is easy to handle, and the tension it provides eliminates the need for a third hand. We also have experienced timesavings during wound closure due to the elimination of knot implantation. The V-Loc device is a major step in wound closure.”

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