Reinforced poly(L‐lactic acid) fibres as suture material

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Abstract
In this study, reinforced poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA) fibers made by a dry‐spinning/hot‐drawing process were evaluated for use as a suture. The initial tensile strength of the PLLA fibers was lower than the initial tensile strength of the commercially available sutures: PDS, VicrylTM, silk, and Ethilon™. However, after 12 weeks immersion in a phosphate saline buffer at 37°C, PDS sutures have lower tensile strength than PLLA sutures and the tensile strength of Vicryl™ was unmeasurable because of fragmentation. Initially, PLLA fibers distinegrated into fibrils during degradation triggering an inflammatory response comparable to degradable multifilament sutures. However, the intensity of the inflammatory response against the PLLA fibers decreased and after 80 weeks implantation in the muscle layer of the abdominal wall of rats it was comparable to the one against Ethilon™. The inflammatory response against Ethilon™, which is considered to be nondegradable, increased in the same period, probably due to the change in shape. In practice, the handling characteristics of PLLA sutures are superior to the monofilament sutures like PDS and EthilonTM and comparable with the multifilament sutures like VicrylTM and silk. The knot security, but this remains to be investigated. It is concluded that dry‐spun/hot‐drawn (reinforced) PLLA fibers have the potential for use as long‐term degradable suture material. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.