Patent ID: 6280473
Filing Date: 2001-08-28
Classification: A61B,A61C,A61F,A61L

Abstract:
A protective bone regeneration membrane for protecting a hard tissue defect from a prolapse of adjacent soft tissues during in vivo repair of the hard tissue defect, the protective membrane having a pre-implant configuration, which is defined as a configuration of the protective membrane immediately before the protective membrane is implanted over the hard tissue defect and placed into contact with any adjacent soft tissue, the protective membrane comprising:a substantially planar sheet of resorbable polymer base material having a first side, a second side, a thickness measured between the first side and the second side that is less than 1000 microns, and a porosity that is less than about 60 percent; and a plurality of apertures disposed in the substantially planar sheet of resorbable polymer base material to substantially optimize healing of the hard tissue defect when the protective membrane is implanted over the hard tissue defect, wherein apertures of the plurality of apertures of the protective membrane when the protective membrane is in the pre-implant configuration have minimum diameters which are greater than 1000 microns and less than 3000 microns and which define isolated, non-intersecting, fluid-flow paths from the first side to the second side;wherein the protective membrane comprises a configuration and strength sufficient to prevent gross prolapse of adjacent soft tissues into the hard tissue defect, when the protective membrane is implanted over the hard tissue defect and placed into contact with any adjacent soft tissue;wherein the plurality of apertures of the substantially planar sheet of resorbable polymer base material, immediately after implanting of the substantially planar sheet of resorbable polymer base material over the hard tissue defect, have diameters sufficient in size and distribution to allow and optimize a proliferation of vasculature and connective tissue cells, derived from adjacent soft tissues, to permeate through the apertures and substantially into the hard tissue defect; andwherein the protective membrane is adapted to be resorbed into a mammalian body, and not remodeled, within a period of approximately 2 to 24 months from an initial implantation of the protective membrane into the mammalian body.