A structure suitable for in vivo implantation as a tension member to substitute for tension members such as ligaments and tendons. The structure includes an elongate member which is a biocompatible film, a biocompatible fabric which has a weave having substantially no permanent yield in one direction after said film is formed thereon and a biocompatible porous material which promotes the ingrowth of living tissue and such material is either bonded to the exterior of the elongate member or is contained within and exposed to the exterior. Also disclosed is a structure having a fabric with a film formed thereon and porous ingrowth material bonded to one or both sides thereof to form a patch for in vivo implantation. The film used on the patch may be porous or solid depending on whether the patch is to be permeable to body fluids. The method of making such implantable structures includes the steps of heat forming the plastic film on the fabric folding and forming the combined fabric and film into an elongate structure, bonding the growth material thereto and also inserting heated probes to form apertures in the structure without weakening the fibers of the fabric.
CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATION
The present application is a continuation application of my prior copending application Ser. No. 694,054, filed June 7, 1976 and now abandoned, which was a divisional application of application Ser. No. 489,453, filed July 17, 1974, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,670.
A composition of matter, and the method of making same, suitable for in vivo implantation to provide an environment in which normal tissue growth is fostered, which composition is a porous, fibrous structure of polytetrafluoroethylene fibers and resin, wherein the combination is sintered at a temperature which fuses the fibers together without substantial detriment to their tensile strength. The composition is prepared containing a material which is soluble in a suitable solvent, which subsequent to sintering of the composition, may be removed to produce the desired amount of void space in the composition.
Prosthesis suitable for replacing or supplementing damaged ligaments or tendons are prepared from polyethylene terephthalate strips by treating such strips with a shrinking agent under restraint in the longitudinal direction. The treatment reduces substantially the extensibility of the fabric in the longitudinal direction. Stiffness can be imparted to the strips by forming the strips into tubes which may have longitudinally-extending ridges thereon and heat-setting same.
An implantable prosthesis for completely or partially replacing a tendon, a ligament or a cruciate ligament is characterized by a structure of bioresorbable material other than proteins, polypeptides and derivatives thereof, which structure exhibits longitudinal grooves or channels intended to server as initial propagation guides for new fibrous tissue.
An appliance for temporarily covering a bone surgery site, such as a recess in a bone filled with bone-building material, such as hydroxylapatite granules, for promoting post-surgery healing includes a flexible sleeve adapted to wrapped around the bone, which carries a covering membrane on one side thereof facing the bone and which carries a reinforcing ply on a side facing away from the bone. The sleeve has two free closure edges, which can be firmly attached to each other with connecting elements which engage into the reinforcing ply, so as to hold the appliance wrapped around the bone.
An improved prosthesis construction in a femoral-side hip joint replacement device of the type having an elongate curved stem held within an intramedullary cavity in a femur, and a neck supporting a ball-like joint member at the femur's proximal end. The construction includes an elongate polymer core containing continuous-filament fibers oriented substantially along the length of the core. The core contains the neck, an elongate distal stem whose cross-sectional area is less than about one-quarter that of the neck, and a tapered sections which mates the neck to the stem. A polymer skin fused to and covering the stem and tapered section of the core is shaped and dimensioned to conform to and fill the bone cavity. A braided sheath encases the stem and tapered sections of the core and it embedded in the polymer skin adjacent the core. The filaments which made up the braid in the sheath encircle the core in a helical pattern extending along the stem and tapered section provided resistance to torsional stresses on the stem. Also disclosed are novel methods for making the prosthesis construction.
