Bioswellable sutures

Abstract

Bioswellable sutures are provided in the form of absorbable, compliant monofilaments of an amphiphilic copolyester, an absorbable multifilament braid, a non-absorbable monofilament with swellable outer layer, a non-absorbable multifilament braid with an absorbable monofilament core of an amphiphilic copolymer, and a non-absorbable, multifilament braid molecularly integrated with an outer sheath that is highly hydrophilic.

1 . A bioswellable suture comprising a compliant monofilament comprising an absorbable polyether-ester, the monofilament having a tensile modulus of less than about 400 Kpsi and exhibiting an at least 20 percent increase in cross-sectional area and an at least 5 percent decrease in tensile modulus when placed in a biological environment. 
     
     
         2 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 1  wherein the polyether-ester comprises a polyether glycol end-grafted with at least one cyclic monomer selected from the group consisting of l-lactide, glycolide, p-dioxanone, trimethylene carbonate, ε-caprolactone, 1,5-dioxepan-2-one and a morpholinedione. 
     
     
         3 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 2  wherein the polyether glycol is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, and block copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. 
     
     
         4 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 3  wherein the polyether glycol is a solid polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of greater than about 8 kDa. 
     
     
         5 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 4  wherein the polyethylene glycol comprises at least about 10 weight percent of the total polyether-ester mass. 
     
     
         6 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 5  further comprising a surface coating on the monofilament, wherein the surface coating comprises at least about 0.01 weight percent of total mass of the suture. 
     
     
         7 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 6  wherein the surface coating comprises an ε-caprolactone copolymer. 
     
     
         8 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 7  wherein the surface coating contains at least one bioactive agent selected from the group consisting of antimicrobial agents, anti-inflammatory agents, and antineoplastic agents, the coated monofilament being capable of retaining at least about 40 percent of its initial breaking strength after placing in the biological environment for four days. 
     
     
         9 . A bioswellable suture comprising a compliant monofilament comprising a core layer and an outer layer molecularly integrated with the core layer, the outer layer comprising highly hydrophilic moieties derived from grafts of at least one unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl methacrylate, maleic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, and methacrylic acid, the monofilament having a tensile modulus of less than about 400 Kpsi and exhibiting an at least 20 percent increase in cross-sectional area and an at least 5 percent decrease in tensile modulus when placed in a biological environment. 
     
     
         10 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 9  wherein the core layer comprises isotactic polypropylene 
     
     
         11 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 9  wherein the core layer comprises a non-absorbable segmented copolyester comprising polytetramethylene terephthalate. 
     
     
         12 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 9  wherein the core layer comprises an aliphatic polyamide. 
     
     
         13 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 12  wherein the outer layer comprises a polyethylene oxide graft. 
     
     
         14 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 1  comprising a braided non-absorbable multifilament encased in a molecularly integrated, highly swellable sheath. 
     
     
         15 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 14  wherein the sheath comprises highly hydrophilic moieties derived from grafts of at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl methacrylate, maleic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, and methacrylic acid, itaconic anhydride. 
     
     
         16 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 9  wherein the outer layer contains at least one bioactive agent selected from the group consisting of anti-inflammatory agents, antimicrobial agents, and antineoplastic agents. 
     
     
         17 . A bioswellable suture comprising an absorbable monofilament core and a non-absorbable multifilament braided sheath, the core comprising polyethylene glycol end-grafted with at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of l-lactide, glycolide, trimethylene carbonate, p-dioxanone, 1,5-dioxepan-2-one, ε-caprolactone, and a morpholinedione, the sheath comprising a heterochain polymer selected from the group consisting of Nylon 6, Nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, segmented copolymers of polyallcylene terephthalate and polytetramethylene glycol. 
     
     
         18 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 17  further comprising a surface coating comprising a ε-caprolactone/glycolide copolymer. 
     
     
         19 . A bioswellable suture as in  claim 17  comprising a surface coating comprising polyethylene glycol end-grafted with a mixture of ε-caprolactone and glycolide. 
     
     
         20 - 22 . (canceled)