Process for manufacturing a polypropylene monofilament suture

• US 5,871,502 A
• Filed: 04/08/1996
• Issued: 02/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Incorporated (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Suryadevara, Jogendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Buiz, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, THUY D
• Application Number:
  US08/629,152
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 606/228, 606/230, 606/231, 254/210.8, 254/289.6, 254/290.5
• US Class Current: 606/228
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 17/14 Post-treatment to improve physical properties
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 6/06 from polypropylene

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved process for manufacturing a polypropylene monofilament suture comprising aging a polypropylene filament that has been drawn in two separate drawing steps in the range of from about 4×to about 8.5×for less than two days then annealing the polypropylene filament to provide a polypropylene suture.

Claims

1. A process for manufacturing a polypropylene monofilament suture comprising

(a) aging a polypropylene filament in the range of from about 2 to about 40 hours that has been drawn in two separate drawing steps in the range of from about 4×

to about 8.5×

(of the filament'"'"'s original length) then;

(b) annealing the polypropylene filament to provide a polypropylene suture.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the polypropylene filament that has been drawn in two separate drawing steps is drawn in the first step in the range of from about 4×

to about 7.5×

(of the filament'"'"'s original length).

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the polypropylene filament that has been drawn in a first drawing step to form a drawn filament and in the second step is drawn in the range of from about 1.0×

to about 2.5×

(of the drawn filament'"'"'s length).

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the polypropylene filament has been drawn in the range of from about 7×

to about 8.2×

(of the filament'"'"'s original length).

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the polypropylene filament is aged in the range of from about 2 to about 36 hours.

6. A process for manufacturing a polypropylene monofilament suture comprising

(a) aging a polypropylene filament in the range of from about 2 to about 40 hours, that has been drawn in two separate drawing steps the polypropylene filament having been drawn in the first drawings step in the range of from about 4×

to about 7.5×

(of the filament'"'"'s original length) to form a drawn filament, and the drawn filament is drawn in the second step in the range of from about 1.06×

to about 1.9×

(of the drawn filament'"'"'s length) then;

(b) annealing the polypropylene filament to provide a polypropylene suture.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein the polypropylene suture is allowed to shrink in the range of from about 16 to about 35 percent based on the original length of the suture.

8. The process of claim 7 wherein the polypropylene suture has been drawn in the range of from 7.75×

to 8×

(of the drawn filament'"'"'s length).

9. The process of claim 6 wherein the polypropylene filament is aged in the range of from about 2 to about 36 hours.