Measuring anti-bacterial efficacy of coated sutures via zones of inhibition.

<p>A) Principle of measuring inhibition zones in a longitudinal analysis on the example of a Vicryl Plus suture, in order to achieve anti-microbial effectiveness over several days. B) Anti-microbial efficacies on Agar plates with <i>S. aureus</i> lawns (2×10⁸ cfu/ml) for a) chlorhexidine lauric acid and b) chlorhexidine palmitic acid coated sutures. Coated suture samples with three different chlorhexidine concentrations 11, 22 and 33 µg/cm. c) Vicryl Plus as reference for commercial anti-microbial sutures.