Method and composition for preventing surgical adhesions using a dilute solution of polymer

Claim 1

A method of preventing post-operative surgical adhesions of tissue in surgery comprising providing said tissue surfaces involved in said surgery with a wet coating of a physiologically acceptable aqueous solution of a hydrophilic, polymeric material prior to manipulation of said tissue during said surgery, wherein: A) said polymeric material is a water-soluble, biocompatible, pharmaceutically acceptable polyelectrolyte polysaccharide, excluding hyaluronic acid having a molecular weight above about 1,500,000; a salt or complex of said polysachharide or mixtures thereof; and B) said polysaccharide has a molecular weight of about 500,000 or above, and the concentration in said aqueous solution of said polysaccharide is in the range of from about 0.01% to about 15%, by weight; said molecular weight and concentration having values such that said aqueous solution is capable of providing wet coatings on said tissue.

Claim 2

A method of preventing post-operative surgical adhesions of tissue in surgery comprising providing said tissue surfaces involved in said surgery with a wet coating of a physiologically acceptable aqueous solution of a hydrophilic, polymeric material prior to manipulation of said tissue during said surgery, wherein: A) said polymeric material is a water-soluble, biocompatible, pharmaceutically acceptable polyelectrolyte polysaccharide, excluding hyaluronic acid having a molecular weight above about 1,500,000; a salt or complex of said polysachharide or mixtures thereof; and B) said polysaccharide has a molecular weight of about 500,000 or above, and the concentration in said aqueous solution of said polysaccharide is in the range of from about 0.01% to about 15%, by weight; said molecular weight and concentration having values such that said aqueous solution is capable of providing wet coatings on said tissue.

Claim 7

A method of preventing post-operative surgical adhesions of tissue in surgery comprising providing said tissue surfaces involved in said surgery with a wet coating of a physiologically acceptable aqueous solution of a hydrophilic, polymeric material prior to manipulation of said tissue during said surgery, wherein: A) said polymeric material is a water-soluble, biocompatible, pharmaceutically acceptable hyaluronic acid, salt or complex thereof having a molecular weight above about 1,500,000, or mixture thereof; and B) the concentration in said aqueous solution of said hyaluronic acid, complex, salt or mixture is in the range of from about 0.01% to less than about 1%, by weight; said molecular weight and concentration having values such that said aqueous solution is capable of providing wet coatings on said tissue.

Claim 8

A method of preventing post-operative surgical adhesions of tissue in surgery comprising providing said tissue surfaces involved in said surgery with a wet coating of a physiologically acceptable aqueous solution of a hydrophilic, polymeric material prior to manipulation of said tissue during said surgery, wherein: A) said polymeric material is a water-soluble, biocompatible, pharmaceutically acceptable hyaluronic acid, salt or complex thereof having a molecular weight above about 1,500,000, or mixture thereof; and B) the concentration in said aqueous solution of said hyaluronic acid, complex, salt or mixture is in the range of from about 0.01% to less than about 1%, by weight; said molecular weight and concentration having values such that said aqueous solution is capable of providing wet coatings on said tissue.