Characterization of surgical suture materials using dynamic mechanical analysis.

Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) has been used to characterize the viscoelastic properties of four suture materials, Prolene, Maxon, Vicryl and silk. The technique identified the main transitions for the sutures and frequency multiplexing was used to define the variation of modulus with time. The monofilament Prolene has a beta transition and the monofilament Maxon has an alpha transition close to room temperature, indicating that both materials exhibit a change in stiffness with time. The alpha transitions (Tgs) of silk and Vicryl occur at temperatures significantly above room temperature and frequency multiplexing data indicate that both materials exhibit stable moduli with respect to time at room temperature. Determination of the viscoelastic behaviour through DMS appears to be very useful in predicting the performance of suture materials.