Enhancing Efficiency in Meniscal Repair: A Novel In-House Vacuum Suction Technique for Suture Loading in Long Hollow Needles and Devices

Background: Suture-loaded long hollow needles are used in arthroscopic surgery to pass or retrieve sutures and in meniscal repair surgeries. However, manual suture loading can be time-consuming and challenging, especially with finer sutures. We present a novel technique using vacuum suction to simplify and expedite suture loading in hollow needles and similar devices. Methods: Following ethical approval and participant consent, four healthcare professionals (one senior consultant, two junior consultants, and one trained operating theatre technician) attempted to load 16G and 18G needles, as well as free and double-loaded commercial anchor drivers, using manual and vacuum suction techniques. The best of three attempts was recorded for each participant. Loading times were compared using permutation tests, and inter-operator variability was analyzed via F-tests. Results: Across all devices, the suction method reduced loading times significantly compared to manual loading, with times dropping to 2-4 seconds. The senior consultant required 15 seconds for manual loading, while the untrained junior consultant took up to 60 seconds. Permutation tests revealed statistically significant time reductions with suction loading (p = 0.0286 for all devices). F-tests showed a substantial decrease in variability with suction loading, confirming greater consistency across users. Conclusion: Vacuum suction is a quick, economical, and effective technique for loading sutures into long hollow needles and other devices. It not only drastically reduces loading times but also improves consistency across different users, making it a reliable technique for arthroscopic procedures. This method can potentially be applied to various surgical instruments, improving procedural efficiency and outcomes.