Treatment for catgut - to retain suppleness for surgical use

摘要

Threads based on collagen, partic. catgut, are treated by immersion in water and a treatment agent able to maintain the humidity of the thread by stopping evaporation of water. The treatment agent is present as >15% by wt. of the thread and has a M.W. not above 400. The treatment pref. gives a lubricant and/or hydrophobic surface to the thread. The treatment agent is chosen from fatty bodies and their derivs., fatty alcohols and acids, higher alcohols with a low volatility at ambient temp., ethers and esters of fatty acids and polyalcohols or fatty alcohols, deriv. of fatty bodies in monomer or polymer form, polyoxyalkylenes. Lubricants such as lipoids and silicones are also pref. added. The quantity of water retained in the thread is pref. between 10 and 50%. Used for treating catgut for surgical ligatures, which do not dry out and become stiff.