Soft tissue defect repair device
View Patent ↗An inguinal hernia repair device in the form of an implantable plug that is affixed at one end to the center region of a sheet of implantable material. The plug takes the form of a plurality of hollow members, arranged so as to be in substantially parallel relationship when implanted into a defect. The hollow members are preferably tubular members and are preferably bundled together by various means, such as bonding or wrapping a band or strand about the plurality of hollow members to maintain them in adjacent and contacting relationship during insertion into a defect.
1. An implantable hernia repair device comprising:
a plurality of discrete tubes each having a length;
wherein each discrete tube is attached to a substantially planar base member at a fold along said length of said discrete tube;
wherein each discrete tube has two ends and at least one of said ends is open; and
wherein each discrete tube is made of a bioabsorbable polymeric material.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein said substantially planar base member comprises a bioabsorbable polymeric material.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein said bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises polyglycolic acid.
4. The device of claim 3 wherein said bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises trimethylene carbonate.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein said substantially planar base member comprises a non-bioabsorbable polymeric material.
6. The device of claim 5 wherein said non-bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein said substantially planar base member comprises a bioabsorbable polymeric material and a non-bioabsorbable polymeric material.
8. The device of claim 7 wherein said bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises polyglycolic acid.
9. The device of claim 8 wherein said bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises trimethylene carbonate.
10. The device of claim 7 wherein said bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises trimethylene carbonate.
11. The device of claim 7 wherein said non-bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.
12. The device of claim 8 wherein said non-bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.
13. The device of claim 9 wherein said non-bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises polytetrafluomethylene.
14. The device of claim 10 wherein said non-bioabsorbable polymeric material comprises polytetrafluoroethylene.
15. The device of claim 1 wherein said bioabsorbable polymeric material of each discrete tube comprises polyglycolic acid.
16. The device of claim 15 wherein said bioabsorbable polymeric material further comprises trimethylene carbonate.