Patent ID: 8414907

Claim:
A medical implement selected from the group consisting of trocars, cannulas, expandable cannulas, endoscopes, rongeurs, curettes, trephines, catheters, scalpels, clamps, sponges, rotary cutters, guide sleeves, vertebral body distractors, rescetors, retractors, guide wires, fusion cages, cervical and lumbar plates, rods, screws, hooks, anchors, fasteners, ligaments, nucleus replacement devices, intramedullary nails, clamps, facet arthroplasty devices, distraction balloons, facet spacers, intervertebral spacers, cautery devices, bovie, and swabs; wherein the medical implement comprises a tissue healing promoting coating disposed on at least a portion of its surface, the tissue healing promoting coating comprising: (a) at least one anti-adhesion agent, (b) at least one beneficial additive selected from the group consisting of antibiotics, antiretroviral drugs, anti-inflammatory agents, analgesics, immunosuppressives, substances that enhance isotonicity and chemical stability, and mixtures thereof, (c) a tissue attachment or growth promoting agent, and (d) a collagen/cartilage stimulation agent, wherein the anti-adhesion agent is encapsulated in a first polymer, the beneficial additive is encapsulated in a second polymer, the tissue attachment or growth promoting agent is encapsulated in a third polymer, and the collagen/cartilage stimulation agent is encapsulated in a fourth polymer, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth polymers are capable of differential release of the anti-adhesion agent, beneficial additive, tissue attachment or growth promoting agent, and the collagen/cartilage stimulation agent, the fourth polymer being configured to release the collagen/cartilage stimulation agent after the at least one anti-adhesion agent is released from the first polymer; and wherein at least a portion of the surface of the medical implement includes nano-scale surface features configured to promote tissue growth.