A method for producing a bundle of biopolymer fibers. Biopolymer is dissolved in acid in a closed container made of materials inert to the acid and to the collagen to form a biopolymer solution. The solution is stirred, then centrifuged to degas it. The degassed solution is put into syringes on a holder. The number of syringes equals the number of fibers in the bundle. The syringes are mounted in a rotatable holder. Essentially equal quantities of degassed solution are extruded from the syringes to produce fibers, which are gathered and fed into a formation buffer bath. The fibers are kept taught after extrusion and dehydrated in a dehydrating solution in a dehydrating bath. The fibers are wound a collector to collect the bundle.

A method for producing a bundle of biopolymer fibers. Biopolymer is dissolved in acid in a closed container made of materials inert to the acid and to the collagen to form a biopolymer solution. The solution is stirred, then centrifuged to degas it. The degassed solution is put into syringes on a holder. The number of syringes equals the number of fibers in the bundle. The syringes are mounted in a rotatable holder. Essentially equal quantities of degassed solution are extruded from the syringes to produce fibers, which are gathered and fed into a formation buffer bath. The fibers are kept taught after extrusion and dehydrated in a dehydrating solution in a dehydrating bath. The fibers are wound a collector to collect the bundle.

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.

An embodiment includes a system comprising: a substrate of a medical device; an un-foamed polyurethane coating directly contacting the substrate and fixedly attached to the substrate; a thermoset polyurethane shape memory polymer (SMP) foam, having first and second states, which directly contacts the polyurethane coating and fixedly attaches to the polyurethane coating; wherein the polyurethane coating fixedly attaches the SMP foam to the substrate. Other embodiments are described herein.

Disclosed are medical devices, e.g., surgical sutures, surgical staples, surgical pads, surgical meshes, surgical scaffolds etc., and methods of use at a wound in a patient to facilitate the rapid healing of the tissue at the situs of the wound with minimal fibrous tissue formation. The devices are arranged to be brought into engagement with tissue adjacent the wound to close the wound and include a core formed of a piezo-electric material and an outer layer covering the core. The outer layer is platelet derived growth factors. The methods of use of the devices also include applying a local molecular energy production agent to the wound and irradiating the wound with a pulsed infra-red laser beam.

A novel high tensile strength semi-absorbable composite suture with minimized non-absorbable mass. The suture has a core made from a bioabsorbable polymer. The core is covered by a braided sheath. The braided sheath is made from an absorbable yarn and a bioabsorbable yarn. The bioabsorbable yarn is made from a least one filament of a bioabsorbable polymer. The nonabsorbable yarn is made from at least one filament of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene.

Compositions and methods of making a modified polyhydroxylated polymer comprising a polyhydroxylated polymer having reversibly modified hydroxyl groups, whereby the hydroxyl groups are modified by an acid-catalyzed reaction between a polydroxylated polymer and a reagent such as acetals, aldehydes, vinyl ethers and ketones such that the modified polyhydroxylated polymers become insoluble in water but freely soluble in common organic solvents allowing for the facile preparation of acid-sensitive materials. Materials made from these polymers can be made to degrade in a pH-dependent manner. Both hydrophobic and hydrophilic cargoes were successfully loaded into particles made from the present polymers using single and double emulsion techniques, respectively. Due to its ease of preparation, processability, pH-sensitivity, and biocompatibility, of the present modified polyhydroxylated polymers should find use in numerous drug delivery applications.

The present disclosure generally relates to biodegradable and bioresorbable materials having a mineral layer on the surface of the material. More particularly, the disclosure relates to biodegradable and bioresorbable orthopedic devices having a degradable mineral layer on the surface thereof that can be used as a delivery vehicle for biological substances. Also provided are various methods of using the mineralized devices in tissue regeneration, including bone tissue engineering, and methods for producing the mineralized devices.

Systems and methods of placing one or more suture loops into tissue, such as the base of the tongue, are described. A system can include a variable-thickness suspension line for suspending tissue, including a suture having a first thickness dimension; an elastomer surrounding a portion of the suture and defining a central segment of the suspension line having a second thickness dimension greater than the first thickness dimension, and at least one transition zone extending from the central segment of the suspension line to a lateral end of the suspension line, the transition zones having a thickness dimension that tapers from the second thickness dimension to the first thickness dimension.

Suture materials for producing medical devices are provided. The suture materials can include natural fibers, and can be suitable for making multifilament sutures and surgical meshes comprising multifilament sutures as examples of medical devices. The multifilament suture can include a plurality of filaments combined together according to a twined pattern, and at least one filament of the plurality of filaments can include natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or mineral-based fibers. A suture device can include the multifilament suture combined with a suture needle. The multifilament suture can be coated with a biocompatible coating, such as a bioactive agent, and/or include a first set of filaments that includes natural fibers and a second set of filaments that includes natural fibers that are different from the natural fibers of the first set of filaments, synthetic fibers or mineral-based fibers, for instance.