Hydrophilic medical devices

Abstract

A medical device including a plasma-treated porous substrate that is functionalized to provide a hydrophilic surface, and a process for preparing such a medical device, are disclosed. The method includes plasma treating at least a portion of a surface of a porous substrate with a gas species selected from oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and combination thereof. The gas species is configured to functionalize the surface of the medical device and form a hydrophilic surface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of making an absorbent surgical buttress, comprising:
 generating a plurality of fibers;   collecting the plurality of fibers so that they adhere to one another and form a non-woven material;   plasma treating at least a portion of a surface of the non-woven material with an ionizable gas species or combination of ionizable gas species configured to chemically modify or functionalize the surface of the non-woven material; and   cutting the non-woven material into a desired shape for a surgical buttress.   
     
     
         2 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 1 , wherein the ionizable gas species is selected from the group consisting of air, water vapor, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 1 , wherein the fibers are melt extruded. 
     
     
         4 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 3 , further comprising blowing hot air at the fibers as they exit a die head and before they are collected. 
     
     
         5 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 3 , further comprising blowing hot air at the fibers as they exit the die head and before they are collected, the hot air having a temperature greater than or equal to the melting temperature of the fibers. 
     
     
         6 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 4 , wherein the fibers are collected as they cool. 
     
     
         7 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 1 , wherein the fibers are melt extruded from a polymer selected from the group consisting of lactide homopolymer, glycolide homopolymer, polydioxanone homopolymer, glycolide trimethylene carbonate copolymer, glycolide lactide copolymer, glycolide dioxanone trimethylene carbonate copolymer, and glycolide caprolactone trimethylene carbonate lactide copolymer. 
     
     
         8 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 1 , wherein the fibers are made from a bioabsorbable polymeric material. 
     
     
         9 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 3 , wherein the melting temperature of the polymer is between about 180 and about 250 degrees celcius. 
     
     
         10 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 3 , wherein the melting temperature of the polymer is between about 80 degrees celcius and about 190 degrees celsius. 
     
     
         11 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 4 , wherein the hot air has a temperature of between about 270 and about 290 degrees celcius. 
     
     
         12 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 1 , wherein the fibers are collected on a conveyor surface. 
     
     
         13 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 1 , further comprising applying heat and pressure to the non-woven material before plasma treating the non-woven material. 
     
     
         14 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-woven material is cut into a shape corresponding to the shape of a linear surgical stapler. 
     
     
         15 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-woven material is cut into a shape corresponding to the shape of a circular surgical stapler. 
     
     
         16 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 4 , wherein the fibers are generated by melt extruding a copolymer of glycolide, caprolactone, trimethylene carbonate and lactide having a melting temperature between about 140 degrees celcius and about 185 degrees celcius. 
     
     
         17 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 16 , wherein the hot air blown at the fibers has a temperature between about 185 degrees celcius and about 195 degrees celcius. 
     
     
         18 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 4 , wherein the fibers are generated by melt extruding dioxanone having a melting temperature between about 80 degrees celcius and about 125 degrees celsius. 
     
     
         19 . The method of making an absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 18 , wherein the air blown at the dioxanone fibers has a temperature between about 145 degrees celcius and about 155 degrees celcius 
     
     
         20 . An absorbent surgical buttress, comprising a non-woven material having a plurality of fibers adhered to one another, the fibers being formed from a melt extruded bioabsorbable polymeric material, the non-woven material being plasma treated on at least a portion of a surface of the non-woven material so that the surface is chemically modified or functionalized, the non-woven material being cut into a desired shape for the surgical buttress. 
     
     
         21 . The absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 20 , wherein the fibers are formed from a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of lactide homopolymer, glycolide homopolymer, polydioxanone homopolymer, glycolide trimethylene carbonate copolymer, glycolide lactide copolymer, glycolide dioxanone trimethylene carbonate, and glycolide caprolactone trimethylene carbonate lactide. 
     
     
         22 . The absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 20 , wherein the fibers are formed from a polymeric material having a melting temperature of between about 180 and 250 degrees celcius. 
     
     
         23 . The absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 20 , wherein the fibers are formed from a polymeric material having a melting temperature of between about 80 degrees celcius and about 190 degrees celcius. 
     
     
         24 . The absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 20 , wherein the non-woven material is cut into a shape corresponding to the shape of a linear surgical stapler. 
     
     
         25 . The absorbent surgical buttress according to  claim 20 , wherein the non-woven material is cut into a shape corresponding to the shape of a circular surgical stapler.