Abstract
Two types of sutures made by two different biopolymers were tested in terms of hydrolytic biodegradation in phosphate buffered saline solution, which simulates the physiological conditions, varying the pH of the medium and the immersion time. The determination of the degradation rate was conducted by measuring the weight loss of the sutures. The study revealed that both investigated surgical suture exhibit quite different hydrolytic degradation at various immersion times and pH level, a more intense degradation being recorded in the alkaline environment.
Keywords: biodegradable polymer; suture materials; weight loss; SEM