Soft tissue implants for promoting tissue adhesion to same

• US 4,871,366 A
• Filed: 05/23/1988
• Issued: 10/03/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clemson University
• Original Assignee: Clemson University
• Inventors: Cooke, Francis W., von Recum, Andreas F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cannon, Alan W.
• Application Number:
  US07/198,612
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 623/16, 623/1, 623/2, 623/11, 623/12, 623/13, 623/14, 623/15, 623/66, 433/173, 433/175, 433/201.1, 604/175, 427/2, 427/37, 427/40, 427/50, 427/13, 430/128, 430/131, 128/335.5, 128/334 R
• US Class Current: 623/23.74
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0077 Special surfaces of prostheses, e.g. for improving ingrowth A61F2/30767 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00407 Coating made of titanium or of Ti-based alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/306 Other specific inorganic materials not covered by A61L27/303 - A61L27/32

Abstract

A soft tissue implant comprises a flexible main body portion, having tissue-facing surfaces and a thin layer of pure titanium covering the tissue-facing surfaces. A method of promoting tissue adhesion of a soft tissue host to the tissue-facing surfaces of a soft tissue implant comprising a strip of polyethylene terephthalate velour comprises the steps of cleaning the strip with a low-residue detergent and rinsing same with fresh distilled water; refluxing the strip in distilled water for one hour at a temperature of less than 30° C.; drying the strip in a room-temperature desicator for several days; sterilizing the strip and packaging same; degasing the strip and storing same in a dust-free environment; removing the strip from the packaging and mounting the strip in the vacuum evaporator at an approximate angle of incidence of 90° from a pure titanium metal evaporant; evacuating the vacuum evaporator to a vacuum of about 2×10^-5 Torr; evaporating the titanium by direct resistance heating same; coating the strip with a layer of pure titanium on the order of one micron thick; and resterilizing and implanting the titanium-coated strip into the tissue host.

Claims

1. A soft tissue implant, comprising:

a flexible main body portion having tissue-facing surfaces;

a thin non-porous layer of pure titanium covering said tissue-facing surfaces of said main body portion; and

a thin layer of titanium oxide covering said pure titanium layer, said oxide layer forming a free surface of said implant for adhesion of soft tissue thereto.

2. A soft tissue implant as in claim 1, wherein said tissue-facing surfaces are formed of a flexible polymeric structure.

7. A soft tissue implant as in claim 1, wherein said main body portion comprises a flexible material to which a coating of pure titanium will adhere.

8. A soft tissue implant as in claim 1, wherein said main body portion comprises a stretchable polymeric film to which a coating of pure titanium will adhere.

3. A soft tissue implant, comprising:

a flexible main body portion having tissue-facing surfaces; and

a thin non-porous layer of pure titanium covering said tissue-facing surfaces of said main body portion;

wherein said tissue-facing surfaces are formed of a porous polymeric material having pores with diameters in the range of 1 to 150 microns.

4. A soft tissue implant comprising:

a flexible main body portion having tissue-facing surfaces; and

a thin non-porous layer of pure titanium covering said tissue-facing surfaces of said main body portion;

wherein said tissue-facing surfaces are formed of as polymeric material having a roughened surface texture, the roughness being hills and valleys in a range of 1 to 100 microns in height, depth and width.

5. A soft tissue implant, comprising:

a flexible main body portion having tissue-facing surfaces;

a thin non-porous layer of pure titanium covering said tissue-facing surfaces of said main body portion;

a thin layer of titanium oxide covering said pure titanium layer, said oxide layer forming a free surface of the implant for adhesion of soft tissue thereto; and

wherein said tissue-facing surfaces are formed of a polymeric fabric.

6. A soft tissue implant, comprising:

a flexible main body portion having tissue-facing surfaces;

a thin non-porous layer of pure titanium covering said tissue-facing surfaces of said main body portion;

a thin layer of titanium oxide covering said pure titanium layer, said oxide layer forming a free surface of the implant for adhesion of soft tissue thereto; and

wherein said main body portion comprises a polymeric velour fabric.