Poly L-lactic acid (PLLA) is one of the most promising biodegradable polymers for medical applications such as sutures, pharmaceutical, implants and tissue engineering. PLLA can be converted into fibres by different spinning technique such as melt, wet, dry and dry-jet-wet spinning as reported elsewhere. In this study attempts have been made to study the key properties of sutures such as tenacity, knot strength, friction and degradation behavior Tenacity and knot strength of PLLA monofilament sutures are found to be dependent on draw ratio and a maximum tenacity of 35 cN/tex and knot strength of 22 cN/tex are achieved at draw ratio 10. Coefficient of friction of PLLA suture is found to be independent of draw ratio. The invitro degradation of PLLA monofilament sutures has been carried out for a period of 28 days. The surface morphology is studied by scanning electron microscopy. A severe degradation of PLLA suture is observed at day 28.
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