If I'm allergic to cat gut sutures, will I have the same reaction to biological meshes?

Question

I have severe foreign body reaction to cat gut sutures. Would this indicate I may have the same reaction to this biological meshes?

Alex Kim, MD · Answer

to be safe I would recommend the use of synthetic mesh instead of biological mesh. Synthetic mesh tends to have significantly less problems of allergic reaction.

Emese Kalnoki, MD · Answer

There is a low likelihood that you will have an allergic reaction to biologic meshes because you have an existing allergy to gut sutures.  The two products are very different.Gut sutures were originally derived from sheep intestines.  Today, they are usually made by twisting together the protein fibers from the serosa of the intestines of any ruminant (cows, sheep, or goats) and then sterilized with some additive (alcohol or ethylene dioxide).  That being said, pure catgut sutures are not often used in surgery.  The more common form of the suture is "chromic gut" which is catgut soaked or distilled with chromic acids.  This places a coating on the suture that will make it last longer (2-3 weeks).  If you have an "allergy" to this suture, it may be to the additives and not the protein fibers themselves.  This type of suture is highly reactive and can often form a red ring on the skin where it is placed.  This is a common occurrence and is not an allergic reaction.  Also, the body may want to "spit" this suture from the incision line because it is trying to dissolve it.  In this instance, the suture is being pushed out of the skin.  This, too, is not an allergic reaction, but rather a normal process in healing.Biologic meshes are made of human or animal derived dermis (the deep layer of the skin).  Biologic meshes, or acellular dermal matrices (ADMs), act as structural trellises so that a patient's cells can "grow" into it.  ADMs can be useful in surgery and are often used in breast reconstruction, breast revision, or hernia surgery.  These meshes are processed so that all the foreign cells are removed from it.  This makes them immunologically non-reactive.  There is a low likelihood of an "allergic" reaction to them because they are composed of the same proteins that make us up.  There is a very low likelihood that you have an allergy to biologic meshes.  I hope this helps!

Denis L. Gonyon, Jr., MD (account suspended) · Answer

Catgut sutures are made from animal tissue and a reaction to the suture is very common.  The biological meshes have all been treated to help reduce the risk of foreign body reaction and the risk is much less than with catgut sutures.  Synthetic meshes such as TIGR mesh has even less risk of reaction but are not a popular as Alloderm.Regards, Dr. Denis Gonyon

If I'm allergic to cat gut sutures, will I have the same reaction to biological meshes?

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If I'm allergic to cat gut sutures, will I have the same reaction to biological meshes?

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about AlloDerm

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.