Medical slings
View Patent ↗A medical sling made from material that is suitably shaped for use in a medical application has sides, portions of which are smoothed to prevent abrasion of surrounding tissue.
1. A sling for use in a medical application comprising:
(a) a first end and a second end, the second end being disposed opposite and away from the first end along a longitudinal axis; and
(b) a first side and a second side extending between the first and second ends of the sling and each side having at least one tanged section and at least one non-tanged section.
2. The sling of claim 1 , wherein the non-tanged section of the first side and the second side is about 3 cm and is approximately centered relative to the first and second ends.
3. The sling of claim 2 , wherein the non-tanged section of the first side and the second side is about 1 cm and is approximately centered relative to the first and second ends.
4. The sling of claim 3 , wherein the non-tanged section of the first side and the second side is about 0.5 cm and is approximately centered relative to the first and second ends.
5. The sling of claim 1 , wherein the non-tanged section is heat-smoothed.
6. The sling of claim 1 , further comprising a visible line extending between the first and second sides and located intermediate to the first and second ends as a visual guide.
7. The sling of claim 1 , wherein the material has a substantially rectangular shape.
8. The sling of claim 1 , wherein the sling is enclosed at least partially by a sleeve.
9. The sling of claim 1 , wherein the non-tanged section of the first and second sides are located substantially opposite to each other.
10. The sling of claim 1 , wherein the non-tanged section of both the first and second sides are located approximately at a middle of the sling.
11. A method of making a sling, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a material in a shape suitable for a medical application, the material including
(a) a first end and a second end, the second end being disposed opposite and away from the first end along a longitudinal axis,
(b) a first side and a second side, the second side being disposed opposite and away from the first side by a distance and along a perpendicular axis that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and that intersects the longitudinal axis at substantially a midpoint thereof, and
(c) tangs projecting from the first and second sides; and
smoothing, rounding or removing the tangs along a section of the first side and the second side to form at least one non-tanged section and at least one tanged section on each side.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said smoothing step is achieved by heat treatment.
13. A method of treating a damaged portion of a patient's body using a sling comprising
inserting into a patient at a damaged portion of the patient's body a material including:
(a) a first end and a second end, the second end being disposed opposite and away from the first end along a longitudinal axis; and
(b) a first side and a second side extending between the first and second ends of the sling and each side having at least one tanged section and at least one non-tanged section.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein pressure is distributed evenly on the damaged portion of the patient's body.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the patient suffers from stress urinary incontinence.
16. A method for supporting an anatomical site in a patient, comprising:
introducing a supportive sling into the body of the patient;
positioning a non-tanged section of the sling under the anatomical site; and
positioning at least one tanged section of the sling away from the anatomical site.