Patch for endoscopic repair of hernias

• US 5,824,082 A
• Filed: 07/14/1997
• Issued: 10/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Roderick Brown
• Original Assignee: Roderick B. Brown
• Inventors: Brown, Roderick B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, Mary Beth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Black, John M.
• Application Number:
  US08/892,533
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 623/11, 623/1
• US Class Current: 623/11.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/0063 Implantable repair or support meshes, e.g. hernia meshes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/0068 having a special mesh pattern
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0019 operated at only one temperature whilst inside or touching the human body, e.g. constrained in a non-operative shape during surgery, another temperature only occurring before the operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/001 Figure-8-shaped, e.g. hourglass-shaped

Abstract

A prosthesis for use in hernia repair surgery having a preformed prosthetic fabric supported along its periphery by shape memory alloy wire having a transformation temperature corresponding to normal body temperature allowing the prosthesis to be tightly rolled into a cylindrical configuration for delivery through a laparoscopic instrument and which deploys to a predetermined shape as it warms up to body temperature.

Claims

1. A hernia repair patch comprising:

(a) a wire frame formed from a shape memory alloy wherein the wire frame has an hour-glass shape when the shape memory alloy is in a austenite form and a rolled compact shape when in a martensite form; and

(b) a prosthetic fabric material attached to and supported along a periphery thereof by said frame.

2. The hernia repair patch of claim 1 wherein the shape memory alloy comprises NiTi with a percentage of Ni in the alloy in a range of from 49 to 51 atomic percent.

3. The hernia repair patch of claim 2 wherein the shape memory alloy exhibits a transformation temperature of about 37°

C.

4. The hernia repair patch as in any one of claims 1, 2 or 3 in which the prosthetic fabric material is selected from a group consisting of a woven mesh of polypropylene fibers and expanded PTFE.

5. The hernia repair patch as in claim 1 wherein the prosthetic fabric material is generally planar and has a major longitudinal dimension in a range of from 6 to 12 cm and a minor transverse dimension in a range of from 4 to 8 cm.