Patent Application
20070179622
The invention relates to methods of producing implants and may be particularly relevant to methods of producing spinal implants.
The vertebrate spine is made of bony structures called vertebral bodies that are separated by relatively soft tissue structures called intervertebral discs. The intervertebral disc is commonly referred to as a spinal disc. The spinal disc primarily serves as a mechanical cushion between the vertebral bones, permitting controlled motions between vertebral segments of the axial skeleton. The disc acts as a joint and allows physiologic degrees of flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. The disc must have sufficient flexibility to allow these motions and have sufficient mechanical properties to resist the external forces and torsional moments caused by the vertebral bones.
The normal disc is a mixed avascular structure having two vertebral end plates (“end plates”), an annulus fibrosis (“annulus”) and a nucleus pulposus (“nucleus”). Typically, about 30-50% of the cross sectional area of the disc corresponds to the nucleus. Generally described, the end plates are composed of thin cartilage overlying a thin layer of hard, cortical bone that attaches to the spongy cancellous bone of the vertebral body. The end plates act to attach adjacent vertebrae to the disc.
The annulus of the disc is a relatively tough, outer fibrous ring. For certain discs, particularly for discs at lower lumar levels, the annulus can be about 10 to 15 millimeters in height and about 10 to 15 millimeters in thickness, recognizing that cervical discs are smaller.
Inside the annulus is a gel-like nucleus with high water content. The nucleus acts as a liquid to equalize pressures within the annulus, transmitting the compressive force on the disc into tensile force on the fibers of the annulus. Together, the annulus and nucleus support the spine by flexing with forces produced by the adjacent vertebral bodies during bending, lifting, etc.
The compressive load on the disc changes with posture. When the human body is supine, the compressive load on the third lumbar disc can be, for example, about 200 Newtons (N), which can rise rather dramatically (for example, to about 800 N) when an upright stance is assumed. The noted load values may vary in different medical references, typically by about +/−100 to 200 N. The compressive load may increase, yet again, for example, to about 1200 N, when the body is bent forward by only 20 degrees.
The spinal disc may be displaced or damaged due to trauma or a degenerative process. A disc herniation occurs when the annulus fibers are weakened or torn and the inner material of the nucleus becomes permanently bulged, distended, or extruded out of its normal, internal annular confines. The mass of a herniated or “slipped” nucleus tissue can compress a spinal nerve, resulting in leg pain, loss of muscle strength and control, even paralysis. Alternatively, with discal degeneration, the nucleus loses its water binding ability and deflates with subsequent loss in disc height. Subsequently, the volume of the nucleus decreases, causing the annulus to buckle in areas where the laminated plies are loosely bonded. As these overlapping plies of the annulus buckle and separate, either circumferential or radial annular tears may occur, potentially resulting in persistent and disabling back pain. Adjacent, ancillary facet joints will also be forced into an overriding position, which may cause additional back pain. The most frequent site of occurrence of a herniated disc is in the lower lumbar region. The cervical spinal disks are also commonly affected.
There are several types of treatment currently being used for treating herniated or degenerated discs: conservative care, discectomy, nucleus replacement, fusion and prosthesis total disc replacement (TDR). It is believed that many patients with lower back pain will get better with conservative treatment of bed rest. For others, more aggressive treatments may be desirable.
Discectomy can provide good short-term results. However, a discectomy is typically not desirable from a long-term biomechanical point of view. Whenever the disc is herniated or removed by surgery, the disc space will narrow and may lose much of its normal stability. The disc height loss may cause osteo-arthritis changes in the facet joints and/or compression of nerve roots over time. The normal flexibility of the joint is lost, creating higher stresses in adjacent discs. At times, it may be necessary to restore normal disc height after the damaged disc has collapsed.
Fusion is a treatment by which two vertebral bodies are fixed to each other by a scaffold. The scaffold may be a rigid piece of metal, often including screws and plates, or allo or auto grafts. Current treatment is to maintain disc space by placement of rigid metal devices and bone chips that fuse two vertebral bodies. The devices are similar to mending plates with screws to fix one vertebral body to another one. Alternatively, hollow metal cylinders filled with bone chips can be placed in the intervertebral space to fuse the vertebral bodies together (e.g., LT-Cage™ from Sofamor-Danek or Lumbar I/F CAGE™ from DePuy). These devices have disadvantages to the patient in that the bones are fused into a rigid mass with limited, if any, flexible motion or shock absorption that would normally occur with a natural spinal disc. Fusion may generally eliminate symptoms of pain and stabilize the joint. However, because the fused segment is fixed, the range of motion and forces on the adjoining vertebral discs can be increased, possibly enhancing their degenerative processes.
Some recent TDR devices have attempted to allow for motion between the vertebral bodies through articulating implants that allow some relative slippage between parts (e.g., ProDisc®, Charite™), see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,314,477, 4,759,766, 5,401,269 and 5,556,431. As an alternative to the metallic-plate, multi-component TDR (total disc replacement) designs, a flexible solid elastomeric spinal disc implant that is configured to simulate natural disc action (i.e., can provide shock absorption and elastic tensile and compressive deformation) is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0055099 to Ku, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.
Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods of fabricating flexible implants and/or molds therefor.
Some embodiments are directed to medical (typically implant) fabrication molds. The molds include: (a) a mold having a three-dimensionally shaped mold cavity with an upstanding sidewall, with a releasably attachable floor and ceiling; (b) at least one mesh layer disposed in the mold cavity; and (c) a quantity of polyvinyl alcohol material and irrigation fluid disposed in the mold cavity over the at least one mesh layer to form a hydrogel implant body, such that, during exposure to heat, the at least one mesh layer integrally attaches to the hydrogel implant body to define a molded medical device (such, as for example, but not limited to, an implantable TDR spinal disc prosthesis).
Some embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods of fabricating medical implants (which can be 2-D or 3-D bodies). The methods include: (a) introducing a quantity of PVA material into a mold cavity; (b) inserting a quantity of saline over the PVA; (c) placing a lid on the mold to place the cavity with the PVA and saline under pressure; (d) heating the mold for a desired time and temperature so that the PVA and saline reach a desired temperature and form a molded body; (e) cooling the mold with the molded body after the heating step; and (f) forming a medical PVA hydrogel implant.
Some embodiments are directed to methods of fabricating an implantable prosthesis. The methods include: (a) placing an inferior mesh layer on a floor of a three-dimensional mold; (b) introducing moldable material into the mold; (c) placing a superior mesh layer on a top surface of the moldable material in the mold; (d) closing the mold; (e) pushing any excess moldable material out of the mold in response to the closing step; and (f) heating the mold with the moldable material to a desired temperature so that the mold is heated to at least about 80° C. for at least about 5 minutes; then (g) forming a molded implant body formed by the heated moldable material whereby the mesh layers are integrally attached to the molded body formed by the moldable material.
Other methods of fabricating medical implants include: (a) introducing a quantity of PVA material into a mold cavity of a mold; (b) inserting a quantity of saline into the mold cavity independently of the introduction of the PVA; (c) placing a lid on the mold to close the mold cavity with the PVA and saline; (d) heating the mold for a desired time and temperature so that the PVA and saline reach a desired temperature and form a molded body; (e) cooling the mold with the molded body after the heating step; and (f) forming a medical PVA hydrogel implant.
Still other methods of fabricating medical implants include: (a) placing a lid on a mold to substantially close a mold cavity; (b) introducing a quantity of PVA material into the mold cavity before or after the placing step; (c) inserting a quantity of saline through a vent path extending through the mold lid after the lid is placed on the mold; (d) then sealing the vent path; (e) then heating the mold for a desired time and temperature so that the PVA and saline reach a desired temperature and form a molded body; (f) cooling the mold with the molded body after the heating step; and (g) forming a medical PVA hydrogel implant.
Further features, advantages and details of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the figures and the detailed description of the embodiments that follow, such description being merely illustrative of the present invention.
The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.”
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or figures unless specifically indicated otherwise.
The terms “spinal disc implant” and “spinal disc prosthesis” are used interchangeably herein to designate total disc replacements using an implantable total spinal disc replacement prosthesis (rather than a nucleus only) and as such are configured to replace the natural spinal disc of a mammalian subject (for veterinary or medical (human) applications). In contrast, the term “spinal implant” refers to both TDR spinal disc implants and alternative spinal implants, such as, for example, a spinal annulus or a spinal nucleus implant.
The term “flexible” means that the member can be flexed or bent. In some embodiments, the keel is flexible but has sufficient rigidity to be substantially self-supporting so as to be able to substantially maintain a desired configuration outside of the body. The keel can include reinforcement to increase its rigidity.
The term “keel” means an implant component, feature or member that is configured to be received in a recess or mortise in an adjacent bone to facilitate short and/or long-term fixation and/or to provide twist or torsion resistance in situ. The term “keel” also includes a discontinuous keel configuration and/or a keel configuration that does not extend the entire length of the implant body, such as one or more axially aligned or offset keels as shown, for example, in
The term “mesh” means any biocompatible flexible material in any form including, for example, knotted, braided, extruded, stamped, knitted, woven or otherwise, and may include a material with a substantially regular pore or foramination pattern and/or irregular pore or foramination patterns, which may include pores of any size, typically between about 0.01-3 mm, and more typically between about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm.
The term “macropores” refers to apertures having at least about a 0.5 mm diameter or width size, typically a diameter or width that is between about 1 mm to about 3 mm, and more typically a diameter or width that is between about 1 mm to about 1.5 mm (the width dimension referring to non-circular apertures). Where mesh keels are used, the macropores are larger than the openings or foramina of the mesh substrate. The macropores may promote bony through-growth for increased fixation and/or stabilization over time.
The term “loop” refers to a shape in the affected material that has a closed or nearly closed turn or figure. For example, the loop can have its uppermost portion merge into two contacting lower portions or into two proximately spaced apart lower portions. The term “fold” means to bend over and the bend of the fold may have a sharp or rounded edge. The terms “pleat” or “fold” refer to doubling material on itself (with or without sharp edges).
Other keel orientations and configurations may also be used. For example,
As shown in
The implant 10 can include at least one flexible keel 15 extending from at least one surface. In some embodiments, the implant can include a plurality of keels from one or mores surfaces (see, e.g.,
However, the flexible keel 15 can comprise other materials and can be formed or provided in other ways. For example, as shown in
Although shown in
In other embodiments, the implants 10 may be articulating implants with metallic or non-molded members. The flexible keel 15 can be ultrasonically welded, staked, brazed, adhesively attached, screwed, nailed or otherwise affixed, attached and/or mounted to a desired component to provide the flexible keel 15. In some-embodiments, the flexible keel 15 can be formed using non-elastomeric or non-polymer biocompatible materials including malleable metals, metallic mesh and/or non-porous materials. For non-porous materials, the macropores can be arranged to provide sufficient fixation.
In some embodiments, the shape of the implant 10 can be described as a three-dimensional structure that provides anatomical shape, shock absorbency and mechanical support. The anatomical shape can have an irregular solid volume to fill the target intervertebral disc space. The coordinates of the body can be described using the anatomic directions of superior (towards the head), inferior (towards the feet), lateral (towards the side), medial (towards the midline), posterior (towards the back), and anterior (towards the front). From a superior view, the implanted device has a kidney shape with the hilum towards the posterior direction. The margins of the device in sagittal section are generally contained within the vertebral column dimensions. The term “primary surface” refers to one of the superior or inferior surfaces.
The size of the prosthetic spinal disc 10 can vary for different individuals. A typical size of an adult lumbar disc is 3-5 cm in the minor axis, 5 cm in the major axis, and 1.5 cm in thickness, but each of these dimensions can vary. It is contemplated that the implant 10 can be provided in a range of predetermined sizes to allow a clinician to choose an appropriate size for the patient. That is, the implant 10 can be provided in at least two different sizes with substantially the same shape. In some embodiments, the implant 10 can be provided in small, medium and large sizes. Further, the sizes can be configured according to the implant position—i.e., and L3-L4 implant may have a different size from an L4-L5 implant. In some embodiments, an implant 10 can be customized (sized) for each respective patient.
The implant 10 can be configured as a flexible elastomeric MRI compatible (able to be placed in an MRI system and may be imageable) implant of a shape generally similar to that of a spinal intervertebral disc. The implant 10 can have a solid elastomeric body with mechanical compressive and/or tensile elasticity that is typically less than about 100 MPa (and typically greater than 1 MPa), with an ultimate strength in tension generally greater than about 100 kPa, that can exhibit the flexibility to allow at least 2 degrees of rotation between the top and bottom faces with torsions greater than about 0.01 N-m without failing. The implant 10 can be configured to withstand a compressive load greater than about 1 MPa.
The implant 10 can be made from any suitable elastomer capable of providing the desired shape, elasticity, biocompatibility, and strength parameters. The implant 10 can be configured with a single, uniform average durometer material and/or may have non-linear elasticity (i.e., it is not constant). The implant 10 may optionally be configured with a plurality of durometers, such as a dual durometer implant. The implant 10 can be configured to be stiffer in the middle, or stiffer on the outside perimeter. In some embodiments, the implant 10 can be configured to have a continuous stiffness change, instead of two distinct durometers. A lower durometer corresponds to a lower stiffness than the higher durometer area. For example, one region may have a compressive modulus that is between about 11-100 MPa while the other region may have a compressive modulus that is between 1-10 MPa.
The implant 10 can have a tangent modulus of elasticity that is between about 1-10 MPa (under normal spinal loads), typically about 3-5 MPa, and water content of between about 30-60%, typically about 50%.
Some embodiments of the implantable spinal disc 10 can comprise polyurethane, silicone, hydrogels, collagens, hyalurons, proteins and other synthetic polymers that are configured to have a desired range of elastomeric mechanical properties, such as a suitable compressive elastic stiffness and/or elastic modulus. Polymers such as silicone and polyurethane are generally known to have (compressive strength) elastic modulus values of less than 100 MPa. Hydrogels and collagens can also be made with compressive elasticity values less than 20 MPa and greater than 1.0 MPa. Silicone, polyurethane and some cryogels typically have ultimate tensile strength greater than 100 or 200 kiloPascals. Materials of this type can typically withstand torsions greater than 0.01 N-m without failing.
As shown in
The implant 10 may include a porous covering, typically a mesh material layer, 12c, 13c on each of the superior and inferior primary surfaces 12, 13, respectively. As shown, the implant 10 may also include a porous, typically mesh, material layer 11c on the annulus surface 11. The annulus cover layer 11c can be formed as a continuous or seamed ring to inhibit lateral expansion. In other embodiments, the annulus cover layer 11c can be discontinuous. As also shown, the three coverings 11c, 12c, 13c can meet at respective edges thereof to encase the implant body 10. In other embodiments, the coverings 11c, 12c, 13c may not meet or may cover only a portion of their respective surfaces 11, 12, and 13.
Alternatively, the annulus cover 11c may terminate adjacent or inside the bounds of the annulus surface, or the superior or inferior covers 12c, 13c may terminate adjacent or within the bounds of the respective superior or inferior surfaces and not extend beyond the bounds of the implant. In such an embodiment, an outer portion of the superior or inferior covers 12c, 13c alone, or an upper or lower portion of the annulus cover 11c alone, can be used to receive and attach the bone screw(s) and/or other attachment mechanisms 50. The coverings may connect continuously or intermittently about respective perimeters, or may be spaced apart and not meet at all.
As shown in
Although shown as substantially conformally covering substantially the entire respective surfaces, the covers 11c, 12c, 13c may occupy a smaller portion of the respective surface 11, 12, 13, such as a minor portion (not shown). The coverings 11c, 12c, 13c can be configured to allow substantially vertical passive expansion or growth of between about 1-40%, typically, about 20-30%, in situ as the implant 10 absorbs or intakes liquid due to the presence of body fluids. The passive growth can be measured outside the body by placing an implant in saline at room temperature and pressure for 5-7 days, while held in a simulated spinal column in an invertebrate space between two simulated vertebrates. It is noted that the passive expansion can vary depending, for example, on the type of covering or mesh employed and the implant material. For example, in some embodiments, the mesh coverings 11c, 12c, 13c along with a weight percentage of (PVA) used to form the implant body are configured to have between about 1-5% expansion in situ.
In the embodiment shown in
In end view, such as shown in
In some embodiments, the legs 151, 152 may be attached (continuously or discontinuously) along a lengthwise direction at one or more of an upper, medial or lower portion, or may have other structural reinforcement means (not shown). Portions of the keel 15 can be attached via any suitable biocompatible attachment means, such as heat-sealed, ultrasonically attached, molded, adhesively bonded or stitched together. Alternatively, or additionally, the legs of the fold 151, 152 may have horizontal, vertical or angled stiffeners or other reinforcement means. In addition, in some embodiments, the keel 15 may comprise a biocompatible coating or additional material on an outer and/or inner surface (or in the gap space) that can increase the stiffness of the keel 15. See also,
As shown in
Some embodiments of the spinal disc implant 10 are configured so that they can mechanically function as a substantially normal (natural) spinal disc and can attach to endplates of the adjacent vertebral bodies. The implant 10 can expand in situ to restore the normal height of the intervertebral space. The implant 10 can be configured to expand, for example, between about 1-40%, typically about 20%, after implantation relative to its configuration at the time of implantation. It is envisioned that the spinal disc implant 10 can be inserted by a surgical procedure into the target intervertebral space. It may be used for separation of two bony surfaces within the spine. In other embodiments, the implant may be configured for use with respect to other bones of the body.
As shown, for example, in
As shown in
Elastomers useful in the practice of the invention include silicone rubber, polyurethane, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, poly HEMA, HYPAN™ and Salubria® biomaterial. Methods for preparation of these polymers and copolymers are well known to those of skill in the art. Examples of known processes for fabricating elastomeric cryogel material is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,981,826 and 6,231,605, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. See also, Peppas, Poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogels prepared by freezing—thawing cyclic processing; and Polymer, v. 33, pp. 3932-3936 (1992); Shauna R. Stauffer and Nikolaos A. Peppas.
In some embodiments, the implant is a solid PVA hydrogel having a unitary body shaped to correspond to a natural spinal disc (block 177). An exemplary hydrogel suitable for forming a spinal implant is (highly) hydrolyzed crystalline poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA). PVA cryogels may be prepared from commercially available PVA material, typically comprising powder, crystals or pellets, by any suitable methods known to those of skill in the art. Other materials may also be used, depending, for example, on the application and desired functionality. Additional reinforcing materials or coverings, radiopaque markers, calcium sulfates or other materials or components can be molded on and/or into the molded body. Alternatively, the implant can consist essentially of only the molded PVA body.
In some embodiments, the flex keel can be attached by molding a mesh cover layer with at least one upwardly or downwardly extending fold onto at least one of the primary surfaces (block 181). Optionally, two mesh layers can be attached to the implant body, one to each respective superior and inferior surface and a third mesh layer can be attached to the annulus surface to substantially encase the implant body (block 182).
Referring to
As shown in
As also shown in
The mold 200, 201 and liners 11c, 12c, 13c can be configured to provide the bone attachment extension segments 20, 21, discussed above.
After heating, the implant body can be cooled passively or actively and/or frozen and thawed a plurality of times until a solid crystalline implant is formed with the desired mechanical properties. The molded implant body can be removed from the mold prior to the freezing and thawing or the freezing and thawing can be carried out with the implant in the mold. Alternatively, some of the freeze and thaw steps (such as, but not limited to, between about 0-10 cycles) can be carried out while the implant is in the mold, then others (such as, but not limited to, between about 5-20 cycles) can be carried out with the implant out of the mold.
Before, during and/or after freezing and thawing (but typically after demolding), the molded implant 10 can be placed in water or saline (or both or, in some embodiments, neither). The device 10 can be partially or completely dehydrated for implantation. The resulting prosthesis can have an elastic modulus of at least about 2 MPa and a mechanical ultimate strength in tension and compression of at least 1 MPa, preferably about 10 MPa, and under about 100 MPa. The prosthesis may allow for between about 1-10 degrees of rotation between the top and bottom faces with torsions of at least about 1 N-m without failing. The implant can be a single solid elastomeric material that is biocompatible by cytotoxicity and sensitivity testing specified by ISO (ISO 10993-5 1999: Biological evaluation of medical devices—Part 5: Tests for in vitro cytotoxicity and ISO 10993-10 2002: Biological Evaluation of medical devices—Part 10: Tests for irritation and delayed-type hypersensitivity.).
The testing parameters used to evaluate the compressive tangential modulus of a material specimen can include:
Compressive Tangential Modulus calculated at 15, 20, and 35% strain
At a next station B (518), the mold material 245 can be added to the molds 200. As shown, the mold material includes PVA 240 that is added first, then liquid 250 that is added next. However, it is noted that, in other embodiments, the mold material can be added as a flowable liquid (the PVA and liquid or other elastomeric constituents can be pre-mixed and may be pre-heated to form a viscous flowable slurry or mixture). The mold shells 225 can optionally vibrate or oscillate to mix the mold material as the mold shells move along the process flow path.
At station C (520), a top layer 12c can be placed on the material in the mold 200. A lid 205 can be used to close the mold 200. In embodiments wherein a flexible keel 15 is formed using the top layer 12c, a ceiling in the lid 205c can include a keel receiving aperture or channel 206, similar to the floor aperture or channel 202 discussed herein. The closed mold can be advanced to station D (522) where the molds 200 are exposed to a heat source 299 and heated to a desired time and temperature sufficient to impart the desired heat for a desired time to the moldable material held in the molds 200. The heat source 299 can be a stationary oven and the molds 200 can be placed on columns of racks therein. Alternatively, the drive system can be configured to automatically advance the molds therein and hold the molds in the oven for the desired time. Temperature sensors can be placed on and/or in the mold to confirm desired threshold temperatures are achieved for a desired time.
The implants 10 can be processed in several freeze-thaw cycles as discussed above. The implants 10 can be sterilized with sterile heated liquid or with radiation or other sterilization methods, typically after packaging in medical pouch or other suitable container to provide a sterile medical product.
As shown in
The fabrication process can include introducing a quantity of PVA crystals into a mold cavity (block 400). A quantity of liquid, typically an aqueous solution or water, can be added to the PVA crystals to form a PVA mixture (block 405). The liquid may optionally comprise saline (block 406). A mold lid is attached to substantially close the mold cavity (block 408). The liquid and/or the crystal or powder PVA material can be added independently after the lid is attached using a vent with a vent path in fluid communication with the mold cavity (block 407). The vent can be used to degas air from the mold cavity before heating, typically during evacuation of the mold cavity. The vent can be sealed before the heating step. Typically, the PVA is added before the lid is attached as well as any liner material desired (block 409) and the liquid introduced after the lid is attached. Alternatively, both the PVA and liquid can be introduced (all or portions of same) before the lid is attached. The mold cavity may become pressurized from heating the mixture in the sealed mold (a relatively high pressure is contemplated, but has not been measured). The mold with the PVA mixture can be heated to a desired temperature for a desired time to form the PVA mixture into a molded body with a desired shape (block 410). The mold with the molded body therein can be cooled after the heating (block 412). The cooling can be passive (air cooled at room temperature) or active such as forced air flow, fluid flow, refrigeration, and may include regulated temperatures or not, or the cooling can include both passive and active types of cooling.
In some embodiments, the mold cavity can be allowed to change in volume, (typically shrink) while inhibiting the introduction of air in the mold cavity while cooling the mold and the molded PVA body (which can be held sealed therein) during a cooling cycle (block 415). The PVA molded body can be freeze-thaw cycled (in and/or out of the mold) at least one, and typically a plurality of times (block 416). As discussed above, the moldable material can include between about 20 to about 70% (by weight) PVA powder crystals. The PVA powder crystals can have a MW of between about 124,000 to about 165,000, with about a 99.3-100% hydrolysis. The saline (irrigant, solution, and/or solvent) can be a solution of about 0.9% sodium chloride. The PVA crystals can be placed (dry) in the mold independently of, typically before, the irrigant (no pre-mixing is required) and/or otherwise introduced into the mold so that injection is not required. The irrigant and PVA, or just the irrigant, can be inserted into a mold after a lid is attached using a liquid vent port that can be plugged or sealed before the material and the mold are heated. After cooling, the hydrogel-molded body can be further processed without placing in water or saline during subsequent processing. The hydrogel body can be hydrated at least partially (and may, in some embodiments be substantially completely hydrated) before packaging in a medical kit and ready for insertion and/or before implantation. Other characteristics, features, materials or process steps for the implant fabrication can be used as described hereinabove with respect to other figures.
Soft tissue body parts, which can be replaced or reconstructed by the cryogel include, but are not limited to, vascular grafts, heart valves, esophageal tissue, skin, corneal tissue, cartilage, meniscus, and tendon. Furthermore, the cryogel may also serve as a cartilage replacement for anatomical structures including, but not limited to an ear or nose. Orthopedic implants include, but are not limited to knee, arm and hip joint replacements, load bearing surface implants and prosthetic limbs.
The cryogel may also serve as a tissue expander. Additionally, the inventive cryogel may be suitable for an implantable drug delivery device. In that application, the rate of drug delivery to tissue will depend upon cryogel pore size and degree of intermolecular meshing resulting from the freeze/thaw device. The rate of drug delivery increases with the number of pores and decreases with an increasing degree of intermolecular meshing from an increased number of freeze/thaw cycles. The cryogel may also be suitable for vascular grafts and heart valve replacements, because the cryogel is thromboresistant, and because of the particular mechanical and physiological requirements of vascular grafts when implanted into the body. The cryogel may also be used for contact lenses, as a covering for wounds such as burns and abrasions, and in other applications wherein a mechanically strong material is desired.
The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/761,903, filed Jan. 25, 2006 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/821,182, filed Aug. 2, 2006, the entire contents of the above-referenced documents are hereby incorporated herein by reference as if recited in full herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60761903 | Jan 2006 | US | |
| 60821182 | Aug 2006 | US |
