Silk Fibroin Closure Eliminates the Incidence of Allergic Contact Dermatitis Compared to Cyanoacrylate Mesh in Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Background: Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from adhesive wound closure systems has garnered particular attention for its potential role in increasing wound complications in total joint arthroplasty (TJA). This study, performed at a high-volume orthopaedic specialty hospital, investigates the incidence of wound complications among 2 adhesive systems: a cyanoacrylate mesh (CM) adhesive and a silk fibroin (SF) adhesive. Methods: All TJAs from January 2019 to April 2024 with at least 6 wks postoperative follow-up were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics and surgical outcomes were collected and analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed using Fisher's exact tests and Results: A sample size of 170 CM and 85 SF subjects was calculated to achieve a power of 80%. Of the 257 patients identified (172 CM and 85 SF), 46.7% were females and 53.3% were males, with a mean age of 65.3 ± 9.0 years and a mean body mass index of 28.0 ± 4.6. Bivariate analyses revealed no significant differences in demographics or comorbidities between the CM and SF cohorts, except for frequency of American Society of Anesthesiologists 1 classification (3.9% vs 1.7%; Conclusions: There is a very low incidence of wound complications in TJA when using the SF adhesive for wound closure. There was a statistically significant increase in ACD when using the CM adhesive. SF adhesives appear to be a superior wound closure option to consider in patients undergoing TJA.