Suture containing barbs
View Patent ↗Methods and systems of forming barbed sutures from blown films are provided. A method for forming a barbed suture includes providing a blown film, cutting slits into an outer edge of the blown film, and twisting the blown film such that the slits protrude from the twisted blown film to form a barbed suture. A system for forming a barbed suture includes a set of heating rollers configured for stiffening an outer edge of a blown film, a set of cutting rollers configured for forming slits in the outer edge, a set of twisting rollers configured for twisting the blown film into a suture, and a heat source to set the suture.
1. A method of forming a barbed suture, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a blown film;
stiffening an outer edge of the blown film to increase the crystallinity of the outer edge over a remainder of the film;
cutting slits into the outer edge of the blown film; and
twisting the blown film to form a barbed suture.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein cutting slits includes forming the slits at acute angles which project toward a first end of the blown film.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the slits are substantially linear.
4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the slits are curved.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein cutting slits includes forming a first set of slits at an acute angle which project toward a first end of the blown film and forming a second set of slits at an acute angle which project toward a second end of the blown film.
6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of cutting slits into a second outer edge of the blown film.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the slits cut into the first outer edge project toward a first end of the blown film and the slits cut into the second outer edge project toward a second end of the blown film.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein cutting slits includes cutting a first portion of the slit at a first angle and cutting a second portion of the slit at a second angle.
9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein stiffening the outer edge of the blown film includes heating the outer edge.
10. The method according to claim 1 , further including the step of stretching the blown film.
11. The method according to claim 1 , further including the step of heating the twisted blown film to set the barbed suture.
12. The method according claim 1 , further including the step of applying an adhesive to set the barbed suture.
13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein providing the blown film further includes forming the blown film from a degradable material.