What Are The Heat Seal Surgical Sutures Made From?

[cassa333]

Hi,

I saw on the telly the other day an operation for, I think, a gastric bypass and to cut a seal the stomach down to size it looked like they were using something that looked and acted like a small hair streightning iron that cut and sealed and left what looked like gauze in place along each 'scar line'.

What is this stuff called and does it disolve or stay in the body permanantly?

Thanks

[heathfield]

Probably Polylactide, a thermoplastic that can be used with a heating device to partially melt the knots in sutures to prevent them unravelling. It eventually dissolves in the body.

[cassa333]

Thank you.

Do you know what artificial heart valves are made from?

[Baldric]

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Artificial-Heart-Valve.html

[ChillDoubt]

Do you mean this:

http://www.autosuture.com/autosuture/pagebuilder.aspx?topicID=7398&;breadcrumbs=0:63659,39868:0,39870:0

It would in all probability have been used in conjunction with this:
http://www.vet.uga.edu/mis/equipment/energy.php

[ChillDoubt]

Sorry, forgot to add, the staples are made from titanium.