EP0192949A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
A method of making a synthetic prosthesis for replacing or repair of ligaments or tendons
Assignee: W.L. Gore and Associates Inc
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Filing: 1983-09-08
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2003-09-08
Abstract
Abstract A method for making a tensile load-bearing tissue prosthesis (10) comprises forming a plurality of elongate loops around at least two spaced-apart pins from a continuous filament of strand material, gathering the loop ends at one end of the loop to form an eyelet, including for example coalescing them, so as to prevent the loop ends from separating, and preferably twisting the loops between the loop ends to promote even load distribution.
Inventors
- 👤 William Carl Bruchman
- 👤 Carl William Bolton
- 👤 James Raymond Bain
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-22 22:03
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/02; A61F2/08; A61L; A61L27/00; A61L27/14; A61L27/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A method for making a tensile load-bearing tissue prosthesis having a plurality of parallel longitudinally adjacent strands positioned between and connected to at least one eyelet for initially attaching the prosthesis to tensile force-applying bone tissue, the method characterised by the steps of: a. arranging and spacing a plurality of pin means to define an elongate area in accordance with the desired size of the prosthesis; b. forming a plurality of elongate loops around the plurality of pin means from a continuous filament of the desired strand material until the desired number of parallel strands is obtained; and c. gathering the loop ends at one end of the elongate area to form the eyelet, said gathering step including the step of securing the gathered loop ends against ungathering.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
128 words
A method for making a tensile load-bearing tissue prosthesis having a plurality of parallel longitudinally adjacent strands positioned between and connected to at least one eyelet for initially attaching the prosthesis to tensile force-applying bone tissue, the method characterised by the steps of: a. arranging and spacing a plurality of pin means to define an elongate area in accordance with the desired size of the prosthesis; b. forming a plurality of elongate loops around the plurality of pin means from a continuous filament of the desired strand material until the desired number of parallel strands is obtained; and c. gathering the loop ends at one end of the elongate area to form the eyelet, said gathering step including the step of securing the gathered loop ends against ungathering.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
43 words
A method according to claim 1 characterised by the additional steps of imparting a twist to the loop strands about the longitudinal axis of the prosthesis to provide more even load distribution when the prosthesis is intended to be passed over a radius.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the loop strands are twisted about 180°.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
9 words
A method according to claim 1 characterised by the
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
further step of loosely braiding the loop-strands to provide more even load distribution when the prosthesis is intended to be passed over a radius.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
further step of loosely braiding the loop-strands to provide more even load distribution when the prosthesis is intended to be passed over a radius.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the securing- against ungathering step includes the step of compressing and heating the gathered ends at a temperature and for a time sufficient to coalesce the loop ends.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method according to claim 1 or claim 5 characterised in that the securing against ungathering step also includes the preliminary step of wrapping strands of a high strength material about the gathered ends in a direction tangential to the prosthesis axis at a position adjacent to the eyelet.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 5 characterised in that the high strength material is expanded PTFE having a matrix tensile strength of about 70,000 psi (483 MPa).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 5 characterised in that the gathered ends are compressed and heated in a die having the desired eyelet shape and dimensions.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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