Quilted implantable graft

Abstract

Described are embodiments of a multilaminate or multiple layer implantable surgical graft comprising remodelable collagenous sheet material, the graft including one or more interweaving members to stitch together the graft to help prevent the layers from delaminating or separating during handling and the initial stages of remodeling. The interweaving members may comprise lines of suture, thread, individual stitches, strips of material, etc. that are woven through the layers of biomaterial in a desired pattern. In one embodiment, the interweaving members comprise a pharmacologically active substance, such as a drug, growth factors, etc. to elicit a desired biological response in the host tissue. In another embodiment, the graft further comprises a reinforcing material, such as a synthetic mesh, within the layers of remodelable biomaterial and stitched together by one or more interweaving members.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A surgical mesh, comprising:
 a remodelable collagenous material, said remodelable collagenous material comprising a plurality of sheets disposed in a multilayer configuration;   at least one synthetic suture material interwoven through said plurality of sheets of remodelable collagenous material to create a series of stitches that affix said plurality of sheets together.   
     
     
         22 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein said at least one synthetic suture material is bioresorbable. 
     
     
         23 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein said at least one synthetic suture material is non-resorbable. 
     
     
         24 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein said series of stitches are spaced apart by an average distance that is greater than 1.5 mm. 
     
     
         25 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein said series of stitches form a plurality of lines forming a pattern across said surgical mesh. 
     
     
         26 . The surgical mesh of  claim 25 , wherein said pattern comprises intersecting lines of said stitches. 
     
     
         27 . The surgical mesh of  claim 26 , wherein said pattern comprises a diamond configuration. 
     
     
         28 . The surgical mesh of  claim 25 , wherein the pattern comprises a plurality of lines of said stitches generally coextending with adjacent ones of said plurality of lines of said stitches in a parallel configuration. 
     
     
         29 . The surgical mesh of  claim 25 , wherein the spacing between adjacent ones of said plurality of lines is increased in a center portion of the surgical mesh. 
     
     
         30 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein said plurality of sheets comprise a laminated configuration with said at least one interweaving member being interwoven therethrough. 
     
     
         31 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein the plurality of sheets are not bonded to adjacent ones except by said at least one synthetic suture material. 
     
     
         32 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein the remodelable collagenous material comprises an extracellular matrix material that has been harvested intact from a mammalian source and subject to processing to render said surgical mesh acellular while retaining a level of bioactivity therein. 
     
     
         33 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein said at least one synthetic suture material comprises a durable material effective to provide reinforcement of said surgical mesh during degradation of said remodelable collagenous material and the establishment of new host tissue to replace said remodelable collagenous material. 
     
     
         34 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein the stitches comprise lock stitches. 
     
     
         35 . The surgical mesh of  claim 34 , wherein said lock stitches comprise a lock formed between a first suture material and a second suture material, and wherein said lock is positioned in an interior region of the surgical mesh. 
     
     
         36 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , wherein said surgical mesh comprises a sheet form surgical mesh. 
     
     
         37 . The surgical mesh of claim  1 , further comprising a non-absorbable synthetic mesh laminated between said plurality of sheets. 
     
     
         38 . A method for manufacturing a surgical mesh, comprising the steps of:
 providing a plurality of sheets comprising a remodelable collagenous material harvested from a mammalian source;   arranging said plurality of sheets in a multilayer configuration;   interweaving at least one synthetic suture material through the plurality of sheets such that the plurality of sheets are affixed to one another by stitches.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 38 , further comprising the step of bonding the plurality of sheets together to form a laminated configuration.