Absorbable sutures poly-4-hydroxybutyrate

Polymers in the group of polyesters, specifically the family of polyflactic acid) (PLA), polyfglycolic acid) (PGA), and copolymers of lactic and glycolic acids (PLGAs), as well as poly(P-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) most closely fulfilled the criteria outlined above, including biocompatibility, processability, and controlled degradation [8]. These polymers, many descendant of absorbable suture materials developed a couple of decades ago, were approved for in vivo use by the Food... 

The latest addition to the synthetic absorbable suture materials is TephaFLEX which is thermally melt-spun from poly-4-hydroxybutyrate, a member of the class of absorbable biomaterials known as polydroxyal-kanoates, or PHA (FDA, 2007 Martin and Williams, 2003). Studies have shown that TephaFLEX is both biocompatible and noninflammatory. Their biodegradation occurs through normal processes and the products of the breakdown are metabolites that already exist in the body. 

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