MEDICAL DEVICES AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING THE BIOCOMPATIBILITY OF MEDICAL DEVICES
First Claim
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1. An implantable medical device configured to be at least partially implanted within a tissue of a host, comprising:
- an outer surface at least a portion of which is impermeable to cells but is permeable to water and molecules secreted by cells, the outer surface separating a space inside the medical device from a surrounding tissue of the host; and
a diffusion sink positioned within the space and configured to cause molecules that are secreted into the tissue by cells during a foreign body response (FBR) to diffuse through the portion and into the diffusion sink.
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Abstract
A medical device configured to be at least partially implanted within a host. The medical device includes an outer surface at least a portion of which is impermeable to cells but is permeable to molecules secreted by cells, the outer surface separating a space inside the medical device from a surrounding tissue of the host. The medical device also includes a diffusion sink positioned within the space and configured to cause molecules that are secreted into the tissue by immune cells during a foreign body response (FBR) to diffuse, through random motion, through the portion and into the diffusion sink.
3 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An implantable medical device configured to be at least partially implanted within a tissue of a host, comprising:
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an outer surface at least a portion of which is impermeable to cells but is permeable to water and molecules secreted by cells, the outer surface separating a space inside the medical device from a surrounding tissue of the host; and a diffusion sink positioned within the space and configured to cause molecules that are secreted into the tissue by cells during a foreign body response (FBR) to diffuse through the portion and into the diffusion sink. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of improving the biocompatibility of a medical device, comprising:
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providing a class II or class III medical device having an outer wall; applying a semi-permeable material to at least a portion of the outer wall to form a diffusion sink having an outer surface that is impermeable to cells but is permeable to molecules secreted by cells, wherein the diffusion sink is configured to cause molecules that are secreted by cells adjacent to the outer surface during a foreign body response (FBR) to diffuse through the portion and into the diffusion sink. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification