Patent ID: 8133500

Claim:
An implantable device comprising (i) a carrier solvent: (ii) a lubricant comprising collagen dissolved in said carrier solvent, and (iii) a structure comprising polymer fibers that are at least partially aligned, wherein said alignment of said fibers expresses itself as an architecture comprising a plurality of plates, each of said plates comprising aligned polymer fibers, said plates defining at least one space therebetween comprising fluid planes, said fluid planes existing as multiple fissures located randomly within the structure, further wherein said architecture is present throughout said structure, and further wherein said implantable device is arranged to be surgically implanted into a body of a living being, said device produced by a process comprising: a) providing a mixture, said mixture comprising a plurality of fibers, said lubricant, and a suspension fluid, said suspension fluid filling a void space between said fibers; b) subjecting said mixture to at least one compressive force of a magnitude of at least 0.2 ton per square inch and not more than 100 tons per square inch, said compressive force causing the migration and at least partial alignment of said fibers as said suspension fluid moves outward from a direction of said compression; and c) removing at least a portion of said suspension fluid from said mixture.