Patent ID: 7056280

Claim:
A method for making a ventricular patch, including the steps of: providing a piece of sheet material having a central area and a circumferential area surrounding the central area, the sheet material made of at least one of pericardium, bovine pericardium, porcine pericardium, and a mammalium tissue; stretching the sheet material on a die having a predetermined shape to provide at least a central area of the patch with a non-planar configuration; providing a ring with a vacant center, the ring made of at least one of plastic material, fascia, pericardium, and an autogenous tissue; attaching the ring directly to the sheet material so that the ring defines the central area of the sheet material inwardly of the ring and the circumferential area of the sheet material outwardly of the ring, and the ring extends continuously between the central area of the sheet material and the circumferential area of the sheet material.