Patent ID: 8088146

Claim:
A surgical suture comprising an elongate woven braid of fibers including ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, said braid of fibers being hollow and defining an elongate, longitudinally-extending, open central chamber without a core material extending therein, said chamber having a cross-sectional diameter that is substantially larger than a diameter of the fibers and being sufficiently large to enable a cross-sectional shape of said braid of fibers to collapse in response to pressures experienced when the suture is knotted to permit the formation of knots that resist slippage, wherein greater than 90% of said fibers of said braid are said ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, wherein said braid is of a size within a range corresponding to a USP size 5-0 to USP size 7 suture, and wherein said suture has a diameter in the range between 0.100 mm to 0.999 mm, and wherein said suture has a substantially circular round cross-sectional configuration which collapses in response to pressures experienced when the suture is knotted.