Soft tissue implants and methods for making same

Abstract

The present invention features soft tissue implants and methods for making same. The implants can includes a biocompatible film that is rendered porous due to the inclusion of uniformly or non-uniformly patterned cells, and the film has a thickness of less than about 0.015 inches in the event the starting material is non-porous and less than about 0.035 inches in the event the starting material is a microporous film. Multi-film implants can also be made.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 - 58 . (canceled) 
     
     
         59 . A non-woven soft tissue implant comprising a single, porous biocompatible film having a plurality of unit cells and a thickness of less than 0.015 inches,
 wherein each unit cell comprises a pore and a portion of the film extending around the perimeter of the pore to define the pore; and   wherein the implant has a surface area ratio (Asu/Ac) of less than .5, wherein
 Asu=the three dimensional surface area of the unit cell, and 
 Ac=the two dimensional area of the unit cell. 
   
     
     
         60 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , wherein the porous biocompatible film comprises a non-absorbable polymer or copolymer. 
     
     
         61 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 60 , wherein the non-absorbable polymer or copolymer comprises polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyaryletherketone, nylon, fluorinated ethylene propylene, polybutester, or silicone. 
     
     
         62 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , wherein the porous biocompatible film comprises an absorbable polymer or copolymer. 
     
     
         63 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , wherein one or more of the cells in the plurality of cells has a diameter, measured along the longest axis of the cell, of 10 microns to 10,000 microns. 
     
     
         64 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , wherein the implant is flexible along two axes. 
     
     
         65 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 64 , wherein the plurality of cells comprises a cell pattern containing a sinusoidal element. 
     
     
         66 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 64 , wherein each of the cells in the plurality of cells has a plurality of undulating elements in the form of a repeating pattern. 
     
     
         67 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 66 , wherein the undulating elements are in phase. 
     
     
         68 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , wherein the film comprises a polymer or a copolymer having biaxially oriented chains. 
     
     
         69 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , wherein the implant has a surface area ratio of less than 1.0. 
     
     
         70 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , wherein the implant has a surface area ratio of less than 0.8. 
     
     
         71 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , wherein the implant has a surface area ratio of less than 0.5. 
     
     
         72 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , having a smooth surface and at least one atraumatic edge. 
     
     
         73 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , having a thickness of between 0.001 to 0.014 inches. 
     
     
         74 . The non-woven soft tissue implant of  claim 59 , distended by at least 25% at a force borne by a tissue.