Surgical Cable and Tether Design and Manufacturing
Similar to sutures, braided cables and tethers are complex braided yarns that are used for applications that require significant strength or load bearing capability. Cables and tethers are often made with high strength materials such as UHMWPE or a mixture of UHMWPE and PET or PET and LCP and can be braided in a round or flat tape pattern. In addition, cables and tethers can be made with a terminal bifurcation or even loops to facilitate even greater ease of use. Often used to stabilize structures and add strength to damaged tissue after a major repair (as seen in an allograft placement or fracture repair). Polymeric cables can be used to safely hold structures in place while healing takes hold. High strength cables and tethers can also be used as actuation cables in deployment devices or short term implantables.