Main description:

Polymeric materials offer a high level of versatility due to the range of applications possible within the biomedical and clinical fields - including wound closure - particularly in comparison to metals or ceramics. These specialised materials also allow for a diverse array of therapeutic effects. Although there have been advances in improving polymeric materials for surgical sutures, there is little information available regarding improving the therapeutic value of sutures, and advanced technologies used to implement this improvement. Advanced Technologies and Polymer Materials for Surgical Sutures provides thorough coverage on suture materials with improved mechanical and therapeutic properties that can improve quality of life; chapter topics include drug-releasing kinetics of sutures, shape memory polymer sutures and future trends.

This book is a useful resource for academics and researchers in the materials science and biomedical engineering fields, as well as professionals in biomaterials and biotextiles development and clinicians looking to learn more about suture material properties and suture/body interactions.

Contents:

1. Introduction to biopolymers for surgical suture applications
2. Functionalization of sutures
3. Improving the therapeutic value of sutures
4. Evaluating the mechanical properties of sutures
5. Polymers for surgical sutures
6. Smart sutures
7. Bioactive sutures: advances in surgical suture functionalization
8. Engineering aspects of suture fabrication
9. Revisiting the properties of suture materials: an overview
10. Suture materials, emerging trends
11. Biocompatibility and cytotoxicity of polymer sutures
12. Shape memory polymers as sutures
13. Drug release kinetics of sutures