Method of repairing body tissue

Claim 1

A METHOD OF REPAIRING DAMAGED LIVING ANIMAL TISSUE, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: ATTACHING A FIRST LAYER OF A PHYSIOLOGICALLY INERT KNITTED SURGICAL MESH TO THE INNER ASPECT OF SAID TISSUE ADJACENT THE SITE OF DAMAGE; ATTACHING A SECOND LAYER OF SAID KNITTED SURGICAL MESH TO THE OUTER ASPECT OF SAID TISSUE ADJACENT THE SITE OF DAMAGE SO THAT SAID FIRST AND SECOND LAYERS OF MESH EFFECTIVELY BRIDGE SAID SITE OF DAMAGE; SAID MESH BEING KNITTED FROM A POLYETHYLENE THREAD FREE OF WATER-LEACHABLE IRITANT IMPURITIES, AND HAVING OPENINGS THEREIN WHICH PERMIT GROWTH OF TISSUE THERETHROUGH, THE THREADS WITHIN SAID MESH BEING UNATTACHED TO ONE ANOTHER AT THEIR POINTS OF CROSSING AND HAVING, INDIVIDUALLY, A TENSILE STRENGTH IN THE RANGE OF 50,000 TO 150,000 P.S.I. AND A DIEAMETER IN THE RANGE OF 1 TO 10 MILS; AND CAUSING SAID MESH TO REMAIN IN PLACE DURING THE HEALING OF SAID TISSUE.