Claims
- 1. A braided suture of improved construction wherein for a given range of overall suture denier, the range of pick count, number of sheath yarns and denier of individual filaments comprising a sheath yarn are related to each other as follows:
- ______________________________________Overall Number of Denier ofSuture Pick Sheath IndividualDenier Count Yarns Filaments______________________________________from about 50 from about 50 from about 4 from about 0.2to about 125 to about 100 to about 16 to about 1.8greater than from about 50 from about 4 from about 0.2about 125 to to about 100 to about 16 to about 1.8about 200greater than from about 50 from about 4 from about 0.2about 200 to to about 100 to about 16 to about 1.8about 300greater than from about 50 from about 10 from about 0.2about 300 to to about 100 to about 20 to about 1.8about 500greater than from about 50 from about 14 from about 0.2about 500 to to about 100 to about 20 to about 1.8about 800greater than from about 50 from about 16 from about 0.2about 800 to to about 100 to about 32 to about 1.8about 1200greater than from about 50 from about 20 from about 0.2about 1200 to to about 100 to about 36 to about 1.8about 2000greater than from about 50 from about 20 from about 0.2about 2000 to to about 100 to about 36 to about 1.8about 4000.______________________________________
- 2. The braided suture of claim 1 wherein for a given overall suture denier, the range of pick count, number of sheath yarns and denier of individual filaments comprising a sheath yarn are related to each other as follows:
- ______________________________________Overall Denier ofSuture Pick Number of IndividualDenier Count Sheath Yarns Filaments______________________________________from about 50 from about 55 from about 6 from about 0.8to about 125 to about 80 to about 14 to about 1.4greater than from about 55 from about 6 from about 0.8about 125 to to about 80 to about 14 to about 1.4about 200greater than from about 55 from about 6 from about 0.8about 200 to to about 80 to about 14 to about 1.4about 300greater than from about 55 from about 12 from about 0.8about 300 to to about 80 to about 14 to about 1.4about 500greater than from about 55 from about 14 from about 0.8about 500 to to about 80 to about 18 to about 1.4about 800greater than from about 55 from about 20 from about 0.8about 800 to to about 80 to about 30 to about 1.4about 1200greater than from about 55 from about 24 from about 0.8about 1200 to to about 80 to about 34 to about 1.4about 2000greater than from about 55 from about 24 from about 0.8about 2000 to to about 80 to about 34 to about 1.4about 4000.______________________________________
- 3. The braided suture of claim 2 possessing a core.
- 4. The braided suture of claim 3 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 5. The braided suture of claim 4 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated in whole or in part from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 6. The braided suture of claim 2 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 7. The braided suture of claim 6 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 8. The braided suture of claim 1 possessing a core.
- 9. The braided suture of claim 8 wherein the overall suture denier and core denier are related to each other as follows:
- ______________________________________Overall Suture Denier Denier of Core______________________________________greater than about 125 to from about 20 to about 80about 200greater than about 200 to from about 30 to about 100about 300greater than about 300 to from about 80 to about 150about 500greater than about 500 to from about 150 to about 300about 800greater than about 800 to from about 250 to about 700about 1200greater than about 1200 to from about 400 to about 1200about 2000greater than about 2000 to from about 800 to about 2400about 4000.______________________________________
- 10. The braided suture of claim 9 wherein the overall suture denier and core denier are related to each other as follows:
- ______________________________________Overall Suture Denier Denier of Core______________________________________greater than about 125 to from about 25 to about 50about 200greater than about 200 to from about 50 to about 80about 300greater than about 300 to from about 80 to about 120about 500greater than about 500 to from about 180 to about 280about 800greater than about 800 to from about 350 to about 650about 1200greater than about 1200 to from about 500 to about 1000about 2000greater than about 2000 to from about 1000 to about 2200about 4000.______________________________________
- 11. The braided suture of claim 10 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 12. The braided suture of claim 11 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 13. The braided suture of claim 9 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 14. The braided suture of claim 13 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 15. The braided suture of claim 8 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 16. The braided suture of claim 15 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 17. The braided suture of claim 1 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a non-absorbable material.
- 18. The braided suture of claim 17 wherein the non-absorbable material is cotton, silk, polyamide or polyolefin.
- 19. The braided suture of claim 1 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 20. The braided suture of claim 19 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 21. The braided suture of claim 1 surface coated with a composition enhancing one or more functional properties of the suture.
- 22. The braided suture of claim 1 containing at least one medico-surgically useful substance.
- 23. The braided suture of claim 1 containing at least one growth factor.
- 24. The braided suture of claim 1 containing at least one growth factor selected from the group consisting of fibroblast growth factor, bone growth factor, epidermal growth factor, platelet derived growth factor, macrophage derived growth factor, alveolar derived growth factor, monocyte derived growth factor and magainin.
- 25. A braided suture of improved construction wherein for a given range of overall suture denier, the range of pick count, number of sheath yarns and denier of individual filaments comprising a sheath yarn are related to each other as follows:
- ______________________________________Overall Number of Denier ofSuture Pick Sheath IndividualDenier Count Yarns Filaments______________________________________greater than from about 50 from about 10 from about 0.2about 300 to to about 100 to about 20 to about 6.0about 500greater than from about 50 from about 14 from about 0.2about 500 to to about 100 to about 20 to about 6.0about 800greater than from about 50 from about 16 from about 0.2about 800 to to about 100 to about 32 to about 6.0about 1200greater than from about 50 from about 20 from about 0.2about 1200 to to about 100 to about 36 to about 6.0about 2000greater than from about 50 from about 20 from about 0.2about 2000 to to about 100 to about 36 to about 6.0about 4000.______________________________________
- 26. The braided suture of claim 25 wherein for a given overall suture denier, the range of pick count, number of sheath yarns and denier of individual filaments comprising a sheath yarn are related to each other as follows:
- ______________________________________Overall Denier ofSuture Pick Number of IndividualDenier Count Sheath Yarns Filaments______________________________________greater than from about 55 from about 12 from about 0.8about 300 to to about 80 to about 14 to about 3.0about 500greater than from about 55 from about 14 from about 0.8about 500 to to about 80 to about 18 to about 3.0about 800greater than from about 55 from about 20 from about 0.8about 800 to to about 80 to about 30 to about 3.0about 1200greater than from about 55 from about 24 from about 0.8about 1200 to to about 80 to about 34 to about 3.0about 2000______________________________________
- 27. The braided suture of claim 26 possessing a core.
- 28. The braided suture of claim 27 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 29. The braided suture of claim 28 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated in whole or in part from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 30. The braided suture of claim 26 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 31. The braided suture of claim 30 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 32. The braided suture of claim 25 possessing a core.
- 33. The braided suture of claim 25 wherein the overall suture denier and core denier are related to each other as follows:
- ______________________________________Overall Suture Denier Denier of Core______________________________________greater than about 300 to from about 80 to about 150about 500greater than about 500 to from about 150 to about 300about 800greater than about 800 to from about 250 to about 700about 1200greater than about 1200 to from about 400 to about 1200about 2000greater than about 2000 to from about 800 to about 2400about 4000.______________________________________
- 34. The braided suture of claim 27 wherein the overall suture denier and core denier are related to each other as follows:
- ______________________________________Overall Suture Denier Denier of Core______________________________________greater than about 300 to from about 80 to about 120about 500greater than about 500 to from about 180 to about 280about 800greater than about 800 to from about 350 to about 650about 1200reater than about 1200 to from about 500 to about 1000about 2000greater than about 2000 to from about 1000 to about 2200about 4000.______________________________________
- 35. The braided suture of claim 34 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 36. The braided suture of claim 35 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 37. The braided suture of claim 32 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 38. The braided suture of claim 37 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 39. The braided suture of claim 33 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 40. The braided suture of claim 39 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 41. The braided suture of claim 25 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a non-absorbable material.
- 42. The braided suture of claim 41 wherein the non-absorbable material is cotton, silk, polyamide or polyolefin.
- 43. The braided suture of claim 25 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a bio-absorbable polymer.
- 44. The braided suture of claim 43 wherein the individual filaments are fabricated from a polymer derived at least in part from one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of glycolic acid, glycolide, lactic acid and lactide.
- 45. The braided suture of claim 25 surface coated with a composition enhancing one or more functional properties of the suture.
- 46. The braided suture of claim 25 containing at least one medico-surgically useful substance.
- 47. The braided suture of claim 25 containing at least one growth factor.
- 48. The braided suture of claim 25 containing at least one growth factor selected from the group consisting of fibroblast growth factor, bone growth factor, epidermal growth factor, platelet derived growth factor, macrophage derived growth factor, alveolar derived growth factor, monocyte derived growth factor and magainin.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of commonly assigned, copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 344,745, filed Apr. 28, 1989 as a continuation-in-part of commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 227,699, filed Aug. 3, 1988 now abandoned, as a continuation-in-part of commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 89,732, filed Aug. 26, 1987, now abandoned.
This invention relates to a braided suture of improved construction.
Sutures intended for the repair of body tissues must meet certain requirements: they must be substantially non-toxic, capable of being readily sterilized, they must have good tensile strength and have acceptable knot-tying and knot-holding characteristics and if the sutures are of the absorbable or biodegradable variety, the absorption or biodegradation of the suture must be closely controlled.
Sutures have been constructed from a wide variety of materials including surgical gut, silk, cotton, a polyolefin such as polypropylene, polyamide, polyglycolic acid, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and glycolide-lactide copolymer, etc. Although the optimum structure of a suture is that of a monofilament, since certain materials of construction would provide a stiff monofilament suture lacking acceptable knot-tying and knot-holding properties, sutures manufactured from such materials are preferably provided as braided structures. Thus, for example, sutures manufactured from silk, polyamide, polyester and bio-absorbable glycolide-lactide copolymer are usually provided as multifilament braids. Commercial examples of such sutures include DEXON (Davis & Geck, Inc.,) and VICRYL (Ethicon, Inc.).
Currently available braided suture products are acceptable in terms of their knot-tying and knot-holding properties. However, as removed from the package, they tend to be stiff and wiry and retain a "set" or "memory" such that at the time of use, it is usually necessary for the surgeon or assistant personnel to flex and stretch the suture to make it more readily handible. Furthermore, the surfaces of known sutures are perceptibly rough. Thus, if one passes one's hand or fingers along the braid, surface irregularities will be readily detected. The result of this rough surface is that the suture will exhibit drag or chatter as it is drawn through tissue, characteristics which militate against smooth, neat, accurately placed wound approximation so necessary to excellence in surgical practice.
In the case of one braided suture now on the market, due to the necessity of having to meet fiber strength requirements while at the same time retaining acceptable knot-tying and knot-holding properties, the suture is constructed from a greater amount of fiber and consequently is of larger diameter than the accepted industry standard.
It is an object of this invention to provide a braided suture of improved characteristics, specifically one exhibiting greater flexibility, better hand and less chatter and drag, than braided sutures of known construction.
It is a particular object of the invention to provide a braided suture possessing a greater number of sheath yarns, a finer denier for the individual filaments comprising an individual sheath yarn and a greater pick count for a suture of any given overall denier (crossovers per linear inch).
It is still another object of the invention to provide a braided absorbable suture possessing the aforesaid improved characteristics.
By way of satisfying the foregoing objects as well as other objects of the invention, there is provided in accordance with this invention a braided suture of improved construction possessing a significantly greater number of sheath yarns for a given overall denier, said sheath yarns being fabricated from individual filaments of finer denier than filaments which are typical of known types of braided suture, said improved suture exhibiting perceptibly improved flexibility and hand and reduced chatter and drag compared with braided sutures of known construction.
More particularly, in accordance with this invention, a braided suture of improved construction is provided wherein for a given range of overall suture denier, the range of pick count, number of sheath yarns and denier of individual filaments comprising a sheath yarn are related to each other as follows:
As a result of its possessing a greater pick count and/or a greater number of sheath yarns for a suture of given overall denier and in some cases, a finer denier for the individual filaments making up a sheath yarn, the braided suture of the present invention exhibits far fewer surface discontinuities thereby providing a suture which is considerably smoother than braided sutures of known construction.
The term "suture" is intended to embrace both the non-absorbable as well as the bio-absorbable varieties.
The term "braid" or "braided" as applied to the suture of this invention refers to an arrangement of discrete units, or bundles, denominated "sheath yarns", made up of individual filaments with individual sheath yarns interlocking or interlacing each other in a regular criss-cross pattern.
The term "pick count" refers to the number of crossovers of sheath yarns per linear inch of suture and, together with the overall denier of the suture, the denier of the individual filaments constituting a sheath yarn and the number of sheath yarns employed, defines the principal construction characteristics of the braided suture herein.
The braided suture of this invention can optionally possess, in addition to the braided structure itself, a core component around which the braid is constructed. In the case of this embodiment, it is preferred that the core constitute a larger proportion of overall suture denier than the core component of a known braided suture
US Referenced Citations (20)
Continuations (1)
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Date |
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344745 |
Apr 1989 |
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Continuation in Parts (2)
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227699 |
Aug 1988 |
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| Parent |
89732 |
Aug 1987 |
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Patent Grant
5019093
