Preparation of composite surgical sutures

Claim 1

A method of preparing a surgical suture comprising forming a thread having interstices therein, comprised of a plurality of fibers of a first synthetic polymer, said thread further comprising second synthetic polymer in intimate association with and present along the length of at least one of said plurality of fibers, said second synthetic polymer having a lower melting point than said first synthetic polymer, heating the thread to a temperature sufficient to liquify the second synthetic polymer but not the first synthetic polymer to cause flow thereof, placing the thread under tension during said melting to compress the thread and redistribute the liquified second polymer throughout the plurality of fibers of said first synthetic polymer so as to substantially fill the interstices of said thread, said liquified polymer being present during said redistribution in an amount sufficient to exude through the interstices of the unmelted fibers and onto the surface of the thread to form a coating thereon and to form an internal cast extending throughout said thread, said internal cast forming an anchor onto which additional second synthetic polymer can be secured, if desired, and sterilizing the resulting thread to form a surgical suture.

Claim 2

A method of preparing a surgical suture comprising forming a thread having interstices therein, comprised of a plurality of fibers of a first synthetic polymer, said thread further comprising second synthetic polymer in intimate association with and present along the length of at least one of said plurality of fibers, said second synthetic polymer having a lower melting point than said first synthetic polymer, heating the thread to a temperature sufficient to liquify the second synthetic polymer but not the first synthetic polymer to cause flow thereof, placing the thread under tension during said melting to compress the thread and redistribute the liquified second polymer throughout the plurality of fibers of said first synthetic polymer so as to substantially fill the interstices of said thread, said liquified polymer being present during said redistribution in an amount sufficient to exude through the interstices of the unmelted fibers and onto the surface of the thread to form a coating thereon and to form an internal cast extending throughout said thread, said internal cast forming an anchor onto which additional second synthetic polymer can be secured, if desired, and sterilizing the resulting thread to form a surgical suture.