A medical device includes a surgical needle, an elongated suture, and an intervening segment. The elongated suture has a first end proximate to the needle and a second end located away from the needle. The elongated suture also includes a plurality of fibers defining a mesh wall between the first and second ends. A plurality of pores extend through the mesh wall, at least some which are in the macroporous size range of greater than 200 microns for facilitating tissue integration when introduced into a body. The intervening segment is disposed between and connected to either or both ends of the elongated suture and the needle. The intervening segment includes one or more fibers of the plurality of fibers and has a cross-sectional dimension smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of the mesh wall such that the intervening segment facilitates indirect attachment of the elongated macroporous mesh suture to the needle.

Described herein is a degradable linking agent of formula Photo.sup.1-LG-Photo.sup.2, wherein Photo.sup.1 and Photo.sup.2 independently represent at least one photoreactive group and LG represents a linking group comprising one or more silicon atoms or one or more phosphorous atoms. The degradable linking agent includes a covalent linkage between at least one photoreactive group and the linking group, wherein the covalent linkage between at least one photoreactive group and the linking group is interrupted by at least one heteroatom. A method for coating a support surface with the degradable linking agent, coated support surfaces and medical devices are also described.

Provided is a coating layer including a reaction product of a diisocyanate compound (a) selected from the group consisting of aromatic diisocyanates, aliphatic diisocyanates, and alicyclic diisocyanates, a polyol (b), and a copolymer (c) having a functional group selected from the group consisting of carboxylic acid groups, carboxylic acid ester groups, and carboxylic acid anhydride groups. The coating layer exhibits sufficient lubricity in wet conditions and has excellent durability.

The present invention relates to a modified polymeric material. The modified polymeric material includes a polymer having a modified surface, where the modified surface includes nano, micron, and/or submicron scale features. The present invention also relates to an implant comprising the modified polymeric material. The present invention further relates to processes for making the modified polymeric material and the implant.

The present invention relates to a modified polymeric material. The modified polymeric material includes a polymer having a modified surface, where the modified surface includes nano, micron, and/or submicron scale features. The present invention also relates to an implant comprising the modified polymeric material. The present invention further relates to processes for making the modified polymeric material and the implant.

Disclosed herein are surgical suture materials that facilitate the sustained delivery of releasable components. The suture materials are processed by the disclosed methods to create a layer of pores extending inward from the outer surface of the suture. Particularly, the surgical suture materials are swollen in a calcium-ion containing solution, then freeze-dried to create pores which can be filled with a releasable component for ultimate delivery to the tissue. In one particular embodiment, the suture has an outer sheath that defines a lumen. Elongated filaments extend through the lumen. This suture embodiment is processed by the disclosed methods to yield a surgical suture material with a porous outer sheath. The pores enable efficient loading of a releasable component into the lumen, facilitating sustained delivery of the releasable component from the suture. The suture maintains its mechanical integrity despite the introduction of pores due to coordination bonds formed between the calcium ions of the swelling solution and carbonyl oxygen atoms of the polymer chains of the surgical suture material.

Disclosed herein are surgical suture materials that facilitate the sustained delivery of releasable components. The suture materials are processed by the disclosed methods to create a layer of pores extending inward from the outer surface of the suture. Particularly, the surgical suture materials are swollen in a calcium-ion containing solution, then freeze-dried to create pores which can be filled with a releasable component for ultimate delivery to the tissue. In one particular embodiment, the suture has an outer sheath that defines a lumen. Elongated filaments extend through the lumen. This suture embodiment is processed by the disclosed methods to yield a surgical suture material with a porous outer sheath. The pores enable efficient loading of a releasable component into the lumen, facilitating sustained delivery of the releasable component from the suture. The suture maintains its mechanical integrity despite the introduction of pores due to coordination bonds formed between the calcium ions of the swelling solution and carbonyl oxygen atoms of the polymer chains of the surgical suture material.

Absorbable composite medical devices such as surgical meshes and braided sutures, which display two or more absorption/biodegradation and breaking strength retention profiles and exhibit unique properties in different clinical settings, are made using combinations of at least two types of yarns having distinctly different physicochemical and biological properties and incorporate in the subject construct special designs to provide a range of unique properties as clinically useful implants.

A medical device includes a surgical needle, an elongated suture, and an intervening segment. The elongated suture has a first end proximate to the needle and a second end located away from the needle. The elongated suture also includes a plurality of fibers defining a mesh wall between the first and second ends. A plurality of pores extend through the mesh wall, at least some which are in the macroporous size range of greater than 200 microns for facilitating tissue integration when introduced into a body. The intervening segment is disposed between and connected to either or both ends of the elongated suture and the needle. The intervening segment includes one or more fibers of the plurality of fibers and has a cross-sectional dimension smaller than a cross-sectional dimension of the mesh wall such that the intervening segment facilitates indirect attachment of the elongated macroporous mesh suture to the needle.

Methods to produce structures containing ultrafine fibers with average diameters from 10 nm to 10 m and more preferably from 50 nm to 5 m, have been developed. These methods produce ultrafine fibers without substantial loss of the polymer's weight average molecular weight. The ultrafine electrospun fibers have an unexpectedly higher degree of molecular orientation, and higher melt temperature than fibers derived by dry spinning. In the preferred embodiment, the polymer comprises 4-hydroxybutyrate. The ultrafine fibers are preferably derived by electrospinning. A solution of the polymer is dissolved in a solvent, pumped through a spinneret, subjected to an electric field, and ultrafine fibers with a high degree of molecular orientation are collected. These structures of ultrafine fibers can be used for a variety of purposes including fabrication of medical devices.