Composition for reducing postsurgical adhesions

Claim 2

An aqueous composition for reducing post-surgical adhesion formation/reformation following surgical injury to tissue or organs situated in the mammalian peritoneal or pleural cavity comprising: a polyoxyalkylene block copolymer of the formula ##STR5## wherein A is a polyoxyalkylene moiety having an oxygen/carbon atom ratio of less than 0.5 x is at least 2, Y is derived from water or an organic compound containing x reactive hydrogen atoms, E is a polyoxyethylene moiety constituting at least about 60% by weight of the copolymer, n has a value such that the average molecular weight of A is at least about 500 to about 900, as determined by the hydroxyl number of an intermediate, ##STR6## and the total average molecular weight of the copolymer is at least about 5000 and an agent to prevent leucocyte migration into an area of surgical injury.

Claim 3

The composition of claim 1 wherein said copolymer is prepared using a water soluble organic compound initiator (Y) having 1 to about 6 carbon atoms.

Claim 4

The composition of claim 2 wherein said polyoxyalkylene moiety is derived from an alkylene oxide selected from the group consisting of butylene oxide, propylene oxide, and mixtures thereof and Y is derived from an organic compound selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, glycerin, pentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane, ethylenediamine and mixtures thereof.

Claim 5

The composition of claim 3 wherein said composition includes a physiologically acceptable non-aqueous carrier in an amount sufficient to solubilize or disperse said copolymer.

Claim 6

The composition of claim 4 wherein said copolymer is a polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer wherein said polyoxyethylene moiety constitutes at least about 70% by weight of the copolymer, the average molecular weight of A is at least about 1200, and the total molecular weight of the copolymer is at least about 10,000.

Claim 7

The composition of claim 5 wherein the intermediate of Formula II is prepared by initiation with propylene glycol and has a molecular weight of at least about 1500° F.

Claim 8

The composition of claim 6 wherein said copolymer has the formula: HO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.b (C.sub.4 H.sub.8 O).sub.a C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.b H (III) wherein in III a is an integer such that the hydrophobe base represented by (C 4 H 8 O) has a molecular weight of at least about 500 as determined by hydroxyl number, the polyoxyethylene chain constituting at least about 70% by weight of the copolymer, and the copolymer having a total average molecular weight of at least 15,000 or HO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.b (C.sub.3 H.sub.6 O).sub.a (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.b H (IV) wherein in IV a is an integer such that the hydrophobe base represented by (C 3 H 6 O) has a molecular weight of at least about 900 average molecular weight, as determined by hydroxyl number, the polyoxyethylene chain constitutes at least about 70% by weight of the copolymer, and the copolymer having a total average molecular weight of at least about 15,000 or ##STR7## wherein in V a and b are integers such that the copolymer has a hydrophobe molecular weight of at least about 1500, a hydrophile content of at least about 70%, and a total average molecular weight of at least about 15,000.

Claim 9

The composition of claim 7 wherein said polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is ##STR8## present in the amount of about 10 to about 40% by weight of the total weight of said composition.

Claim 10

The composition of claim 8 wherein said polyoxyalkylene block copolymer is present in the amount of about 15 to about 30% by weight in said aqueous composition and said aqueous composition forms a gel upon contact with mammalian tissue.