Product Manual

can be used as a monofilament suture only in the finest size. Consequently, this high
molecular weight homo-polymer is extruded into thin filaments and braided.
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The
thin filaments of Dexon™ II are coated with Polycaprolate™, a copolymer of glycolide
and epsilon-caprolactone, to reduce the coefficient of friction encountered in knot
construction. Dexon™ S is an uncoated braided suture. The polyglycolic acid sutures
(Dexon™ II, Dexon™ S) degrade in an aqueous environment through hydrolysis of the
ester linkage.
Copolymers of glycolide and lactide were then synthesized to produce a Lactomer™
copolymer that is used to produce a new braided absorbable suture (Polysorb™). The
glycolide and lactide behaved differently when exposed to tissue hydrolysis. Glycolide
provides for high initial tensile strength, but hydrolyses rapidly in tissue.
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Lactide
has a slower and controlled rate of hydrolysis, or tensile strength loss, and provides
for prolonged tensile strength in tissue.
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The Lactomer™ copolymer consists of glycolide and lactide in a 9:1 ratio.
The handling characteristics of the Polysorb™ sutures were found to be superior to
those of the Polyglactin 910™ suture.
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Using comparable knot construction and
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