Patent ID: 11911272
Assignee: W.L. GORE & ASSOCIATES GMBH
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 24:
25. A method of treating an opening in a patient, the method comprising:
delivering a medical device within an opening at a treatment site, the medical device having a scaffold including a plurality of absorbable filaments arranged in a support structure having a first hub and a second hub with a waist extending therebetween, the scaffold configured to support a tissue and degrade within a defined time period and a membrane arranged about an entirety of the support structure including the plurality of absorbable filaments and an entirety of at least one of a proximal end and a distal end, the membrane defining a first layer and a second layer, the plurality of absorbable filaments contained between the first layer and the second layer, the medical device including an elastic tensile member arranged between the first and second hubs and within the waist, during deployment from an elongated state, a tensile forced in the elastic tensile member pulls the first and second hubs together;
degrading the plurality of filaments within the confines of the membrane;
containing fragments of the plurality of absorbable filaments within the membrane in response to the fracture or degradation of the plurality of filaments; and
maintaining the membrane within the opening after degradation of the plurality of filaments.