Patent ID: 6613187
Filing Date: 2003-09-02
Classification: C08L

Abstract:
A method for using a polymeric cement to assemble medical devices comprising the steps of:providing a first article of a first low crystallinity polymer; providing a second article of a second low crystallinity polymer; wherein the first low crystallinity polymer and the second low crystallinity polymer are selected from the group consisting of: (a) a homopolymer of a polyolefin, (b) a copolymer having a first monomer selected from the group consisting of propylene, butene, pentene, hexene, heptene, octene, nonene and decene, (c) ethylene copolymerized with monomers selected from the group of &agr;-olefins having 3-10 carbons, lower alkyl and lower alkene substituted carboxylic acids and esters and anhydride derivatives thereof, (d) ethylene-propylene rubbers, (e) EPDM, (f) ionomers, (g) homopolymers of cyclic olefins, (h) copolymers of cyclic olefins selected from the group consisting of substituted and unsubstituted cyclopentene, cyclopentadiene, cyclohexene, cyclohexadiene, cycloheptadiene, cyclooctene, and cyclooctadiene, copolymerized with a fourth monomer selected from the group consisting of &agr;-olefins having from 2-10 carbons, cyclic olefins, bridged polycyclic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons, (i) homopolymers of bridged polycyclic hydrocarbons, and (j) and copolymers of bridged polycyclic hydrocarbons containing more than 7 carbons with a fifth monomer selected from the group of &agr;-olefins having from 2-10 carbons, cyclic olefins, bridged polycyclic hydrocarbons and aromatic hydrocarbons; providing a cement composition having a first component of a polymer obtained from an addition-polymerization process, the polymer having a backbone containing a cyclic olefin or a bridged polycyclic hydrocarbon wherein the cyclic olefin or bridged polycyclic hydrocarbon constitutes at least about 20 mole percent of the backbone, and a second component of an effective amount of a hydrocarbon solvent having a solubility parameter of less than about 20 (MPa)1/2 and a molecular weight of less than about 200 g/mole; applying the cement composition to one of the first and second articles to define a bonding area; and attaching the first article to the second article along the bonding area to fixedly attach the first article to the second article.