CN111110395A - Novel medical thin slice capable of being implanted into patient body - Google Patents

Abstract

A novel medical wafer implantable in a patient is disclosed, comprising a planar member having a thickness, first and second expandable sides, first and second retractable sides, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first and second retractable sides, the planar member having a first smaller area location for insertion into the patient and a second larger area location for implantation into the patient; a planar member comprising a plurality of adjacent strips extending parallel to each other along a longitudinal axis of the planar member, the strips comprising a plurality of longitudinal struts and a plurality of loops connecting adjacent struts; a plurality of bridges connecting adjacent strips to each other at bridge-to-ring connection points, wherein the bridge-to-ring connection points of each bridge are angularly spaced relative to the longitudinal axis; a plurality of amorphous circles, wherein some of the amorphous circles are connected to at least some of the plurality of rings. The invention adopts the novel medical slice which can be implanted into the body of a patient, and has reasonable structural design and good use effect.

Description

Novel medical thin slice capable of being implanted into patient body

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical supplies, in particular to a novel medical thin sheet which can be implanted into a patient.

Background

Medical wafers and tapes are implantable devices used to provide structural support within a patient. These support device applications include: slings and organ support plates, transvascular bands, bioimplantation materials, fascia and grafts for muscles, tendons, connective tissue, bone, and the like. Medical drapes must be flexible and have a surface area large enough to provide the necessary support for internal organs. To provide a large flexible surface area, medical sheets and tapes are typically of a mesh or woven construction.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to solve the defects in the prior art and provides a novel medical thin sheet which can be implanted into a patient.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the technical scheme provided by the invention is as follows: a novel medical wafer implantable in a patient, comprising a) a planar member having a thickness, first and second expandable sides, first and second retractable sides, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first and second retractable sides, the planar member having a first smaller area location for insertion into the patient and a second larger area location for implantation into the patient; b) a planar member comprising a plurality of adjacent strips extending parallel to each other along a longitudinal axis of the planar member, the strips comprising a plurality of longitudinal struts and a plurality of loops connecting adjacent struts; c) a plurality of bridges connecting adjacent strips to each other at bridge-to-ring connection points, wherein the bridge-to-ring connection points of each bridge are angularly spaced relative to the longitudinal axis; d) a plurality of amorphous circles, wherein some of the amorphous circles are connected to at least some of the plurality of rings.

As a still further aspect of the invention, the loop includes a curved substantially semi-circular portion having a center, and the bridge-loop connection point is offset from the center of the loop.

As a still further aspect of the invention, at least some of the plurality of amorphous circles have concentric holes.

As a further aspect of the invention, some of the plurality of non-wafers are attached to the plurality of bridges.

As a further aspect of the invention, the width of the bridges, rings and struts is less than the thickness of the planar member.

As a further aspect of the invention, some of the plurality of non-wafers are attached to some of the plurality of posts.

As a further aspect of the invention, the amorphous circle has rounded edges.

Based on the technical scheme, compared with the prior art, the invention has the following technical advantages:

the medical thin sheet is inserted into the patient body, and then is expanded to the larger surface area in the expansion state, so that the medical thin sheet is implanted into the patient body in an expansion form.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a view of an embodiment of a medical wafer in a compressed state.

Fig. 2 is a view of an embodiment of a medical wafer in a compressed state.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a medical wafer in a compressed state.

Fig. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of a medical sheet folded out of plane.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of a medical wafer in an expanded state.

Fig. 6 is another embodiment of a medical wafer.

Detailed Description

The invention is further explained below with reference to the figures and examples.

To make the medical sheet of the present invention, a superelastic metal alloy is required. Although the superelastic alloy is described as nitinol (Ni-Ti alloy), any alloy having similar superelasticity may be used. Nitinol sheet stock is commercially available from a number of suppliers. Alternatively, the nitinol sheet may be formed by a deposition process such as chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition and plasma spray deposition. The deposition process builds a layer of material by depositing alloy molecules on a substrate in a vacuum chamber, and then separating the deposited layer from the substrate. The substrate can have various three-dimensional shapes, so vapor deposited nitinol can also form planar or three-dimensional layers. The thickness of the superelastic alloy medical sheet may be from about 0.0001 to about 0.1 inches.

The nitinol sheet may be cut into the desired fully expanded medical sheet pattern in either the austenitic or martensitic phase. The phase of the nitinol material is temperature dependent. Typically, the austenite transition temperature Af is from about 24 ℃ to about 37 ℃. At temperatures above the austenite transition temperature, the nitinol will be in the austenite phase. At lower temperatures, the nitinol may be completely or partially in the martensite phase. If the medical sheet is cut in the martensite phase, it may be held in the expanded shape while being heat treated to transform the nitinol to the austenite phase. The medical sheet may then be cooled to transform the medical sheet into a martensitic phase before the medical sheet is compressed into a compact state for implantation in a patient. The austenite phase shape is the shape that the medical sheet will attempt when heated above the austenite transition temperature.

Refer to fig. 1. Refer to fig. 1 and 2. As shown in fig. 3, the medical sheet 50 is cut into a complex pattern of adjacent flat strips 52(a) -52(d) connected by a plurality of bridges 70. The length of the planar strips 52(a) -52(d) into which the plurality of interconnected struts 60 and loops 62 are respectively formed may vary within each planar strip 52(a) -52 (d). The length of the struts, rings and bridges may vary. In one embodiment, the nitinol sheet is loaded into a machine that cuts a predetermined pattern of expandable medical sheet. Machines that can cut nitinol sheets are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and are commercially available. During this process, the metal sheet is typically held stationary, while the cutting tool, preferably under microprocessor control, moves over the sheet and cuts the desired medical sheet pattern. Pattern size and pattern, laser positioning requirements and other information are programmed into the microprocessor, which controls all aspects of the process. The cutting tool may be a laser, laser chemical etching, water jet, electrical discharge machining, or the like.

In one embodiment, a photochemical etching process may be used to cut the desired pattern into nitinol sheets. The process may include various processing steps commonly referred to as photolithography. A photoresist layer is deposited on the nitinol sheet and the photosensitive layer is exposed to a light pattern matching the desired pattern of the sheet to be cut. The exposed regions of the photoresist layer are photochemically altered, and a chemical reaction is used to remove the unexposed portions of the photosensitive layer. The etching process then cuts through the nitinol areas not covered by the photoresist to form a patterned medical wafer. The remaining photoresist is removed to produce a finished patterned medical sheet.

In one embodiment, the medical wafer 50 may be made from a plurality of adjacent elongated planar strips 52(a) -52(d), which elongated planar strips 52(a) -52(d) are secured adjacent to each other across the length of the medical wafer 50 by a plurality of bridges 70. Although four adjacent elongate strips are shown, medical sheets having any number of elongate strips may be manufactured. The edge of the medical sheet 50 formed by the ends of the elongate strips 52(a) -52(d) is the telescoping side 43 of the medical sheet 50, the edge of the medical sheet 50 being formed by the left side. The sides of the elongate strip 52(a) and the right side of the elongate strip 52(d) are the expandable sides 45 of the medical sheet 50, with the longitudinal axis 83 extending between the telescoping sides 43 of the intermediate sheet 50.

Each elongate strip 52 includes a plurality of longitudinal struts 60 and a plurality of loops 62 connecting adjacent struts 60 are connected to the loops 62 at opposite ends of the struts 62 in an alternating pattern forming a serpentine or "S" shaped pattern. In the compressed state, the ring 62 is substantially semi-circular and appears to be approximately a 180 ° bend. The space between the struts 60 is very small because the 180 ° bend of the ring 62 causes the struts 60 to compress close to each other.

The medical wafer also includes a plurality of non-wafers 91 connected along the outer edges of the medical wafer 50 along the short sides of the medical wafer 50, amorphous circles 91 are connected to the ring 62. In the medical sheet 50 along the long side, an amorphous circle 91 is attached to the end point of the flat strips 52(a) -52(d) along the longitudinal length of the outermost strut. The amorphous circles 91 and the rounded surface of the ring 62 eliminate any sharp external features and make the medical wafer 50 traumatic when implanted in a patient. The non-wafer 91 is a rounded feature that may also have smooth rounded edges, such as "bull-nosed" edges, to further remove any sharp surfaces. The non-wafer 91 preferably has a circular ring shape rather than a cylindrical shape with sharp edges. The radius of the rounded edges will be less than half the thickness of the nitinol sheet, and preferably less than a quarter of the thickness of the sheet.

The holes 93 in the amorphous circles 91 provide areas for ingrowth to stabilize the medical sheet 50 implanted in the patient. Alternatively, the holes 93 in the amorphous circles 91 may also be used to suture the medical sheet 50 to tissue within the patient. The medical sheet may be used as a physical graft structure or to provide physical support to organs within a patient's body. The diameter of the amorphous circle 91 may range from about 0.001 to about 0.250 inches. The hole 93 is concentric with the non-wafer 91 and may be proportional in diameter. The diameter of the hole 93 may be in the range of about 10% to about 90% of the diameter of the amorphous circle 91. Although the amorphous circle 91 and the hole 93 are shown only around the periphery, the amorphous circle 91 may be attached to either one. As shown in fig. 1, the inner ring 62 of the medical sheet 53.

Fig. 2 shows an embodiment of a medical patch 53 having an indefinite circle 91 and a hole 93 placed in a bridge 70 and a loop between planar strips 52(a) -52 (d). The inner amorphous circles 91 and holes 93 provide additional area for ingrowth and suture points to secure the medical wafer within the patient. The inner amorphous circles 91 also allow the medical sheet 53 to be cut to a size suitable for the application. The bridge 70 may be cut to remove one or more of the elongate strips 52(a) -52(d) from the medical sheet 53. The cut medical sheet 53 having an amorphous circular shape 91 allows the cut edges to be sutured in the patient by cutting the bridge 70 alongside the amorphous circular shape 91. After cutting to remove any sharp surfaces, the cutting bridge 70 may need to be further smoothed.

In an alternative embodiment, some of the non-wafers 91 may be replaced with circular structures that provide the same wound edge for the medical patch 50 as the amorphous circles 91. These rounded structures may be spherical, elliptical, rounded rectangular, rounded triangular, and like the amorphous circles 91, may be attached to the ring 62 anywhere in the medical wafer 50, within any bridge 70 or at the strut 60 at the end of the elongate strip. FIGS. 52(a) to 52 (d). The circular structure may also have a hole formed through its center for ingrowth or suturing.

Although the bridges 70 appear to be straight structures, the loops 62 connect to adjacent planar strips at equal angles, as shown in fig. 3 and 4. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the bridges 70 may be curved to improve the structural performance of the medical wafer 50 of the present invention. The bridge 70 can best be described by reference to fig. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of one embodiment of a compressed medical sheet 50. Each bridge 70 has ends 56 and 58, with end 56 of bridge 70 being connected to one of rings 62 at a bridge-to-loop connection point 72. The first elongate strip 52(a) and the other end 58 are connected to the other loop 62 at a bride-to-loop connection point 74 on the adjacent elongate strip 52 (b). In this example, end 56 of bridge 70 is connected to ring 64(a) at bridge-to-ring connection point 72, and end 58 is connected to ring 64(b) at bridge-to-ring connection point 74. The loop attachment points 72,74 are angularly spaced relative to the longitudinal axis 83 of the medical wafer 50 and are not horizontally opposed to each other.

The geometry of the struts is also designed to better distribute the strain throughout the medical wafer and minimize the size of the openings between the struts, rings and bridges. The number of struts, rings and bridges and the design of these components are important factors in determining the performance and fatigue life characteristics of medical wafers. Medical sheets having a greater number of smaller size struts per elongate strip improve the mechanical properties of the medical sheet by providing greater rigidity than sheets made with fewer and larger struts. For example, medical sheets in which the ratio of the number of struts per elongate strip to the strut length L (in inches) is greater than 400 have increased stiffness.

After the medical sheet is cut into a desired pattern, a surface treatment may be performed. The medical sheet may be passivated by exposing the nitinol to oxygen to form a metal oxide layer that helps prevent corrosion. The medical wafer may also be polished by a process such as mechanical polishing, electropolishing or chemical-mechanical polishing to remove any rough surfaces. This polishing removes any sharp surfaces that may be formed during the cutting of the medical wafer.

Alternatively, the medical sheet may be textured to improve ingrowth after implantation or to improve adhesion of a coating applied to the medical sheet. Texturing may be by photochemical etching, sandblasting, tumbling, or the like. These textured surfaces may be coated with different materials, which will improve the implant performance. These chemical coatings are generally intended to improve the biocompatibility of the medical sheet within the patient's body by enhancing ingrowth, preventing rejection and resisting infection. These surface coatings include polymers, therapeutic agents and bioactive materials.

In one embodiment, some medical sheets may also be coated with a radiopaque material that is detectable by X-ray. Additionally, the radiopaque material may be attached to the nitinol medical wafer by laser welding, adhesives, mechanical fasteners, and the like. After the medical wafer is implanted in the patient, the implanted area may be X-rayed to determine its exact location. Medical treatment table. If the medical order is improperly positioned, errors may be detected and corrected.

After cutting the medical sheet 50 and applying all of the surface coating, it is ready for use. The medical sheet 50 is cooled below the martensitic transformation temperature to transform the nitinol into a superelastic material. The martensitic transformation temperature Mf may be between about 0 ° and 15 ℃. In the martensite phase, the interconnecting struts 60, loops 62 and bridges 70 of the medical sheet 50 may be compressed into small regions, as shown in fig. 2 and 3. 1-3. In the compressed shape, there may be very small gaps g between adjacent struts 60 and rings 62 the compressed nitinol alloy will remain in the compressed shape as long as the temperature remains below the austenite transition temperature.

Although the medical sheet 50 is shown in fig. 1 and 2, as shown in fig. 1-3, the medical sheet 50 may be further compressed out of plane when compressed in a planar configuration. Figure (a). Fig. 4 shows a side view of a medical sheet 50 folded in an accordion fashion at a bridge 70. The medical sheet 50 may also be rolled into a compressed state. In the martensite phase, the medical sheet 50 will retain any of these out-of-plane compressed shapes until the metal phase changes to the austenite phase.

To implant the medical wafer 50 into the patient, the compressed medical wafer is held by the delivery device and inserted through a small incision in the patient's skin. After the medical wafer is inserted into the patient, it is completely unfolded and then permanently or temporarily implanted into the patient. The expansion of the medical sheet within the patient is due to the molecular transformation of the metal alloy from the martensite phase to the austenite phase due to the temperature increase within the patient. The body heat of the patient transforms the phase of the nitinol material into the austenitic phase. As the molecular structure of the metal alloy changes to the austenite phase, the medical sheet decompresses into its expanded shape.

Referring to fig. 1, in fig. 5, a portion of the medical sheet 50 is shown in an austenitic phase and an expanded state, the expansion of the medical sheet 50 may only coincide with the length of the elongate strips 52(a) -52(d), in the expanded state, the angle α between adjacent struts 60 connected by the loops 62 increases from a compressed angle of about 0 ° to about 5 ° to an expanded angle of about 30 ° to about 70 °, the expanded angle α of the loops 62 causes the struts 60 to separate and expand the length of the elongate strips 52(a) -52(c), as the length of the strips expands, the width of the elongate strips 52(a) -52(c) narrows as the struts 60 are angled in width rather than extending vertically in width, although the medical sheet 50 is shown as planar in the expanded state, a medical sheet having a three-dimensional shape in the expanded and compressed states may be constructed, as shown in fig. 2.

After the patient is fully expanded, the medical patch 50 is positioned and secured within the patient using other medical instruments. Medical sheet 50 may be attached to the patient by ingrowth through holes 93 in non-wafer 91 and through gaps G between posts 60, ring 62 and bridges 70. Alternatively, the suture may be sutured through the holes 93 to secure the medical watch 50 in place. After the medical sheet 50 is implanted, all surgical tools are removed so that the patient can heal.

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the geometry of the medical wafer varies significantly from the compressed state to its fully expanded state, as the medical sheet expands, the strut angles α and strain levels in the struts, loops and bridges are affected.

In contrast, when a metallic specimen such as a nickel-titanium alloy that exhibits superelastic properties at temperatures at which austenite is stable (i.e., at which the transformation of the martensite phase to the austenite phase is complete) is stressed, the specimen elastically deforms until a specified stress level is reached, and the alloy then undergoes a stress-induced phase transformation from the austenite phase to the martensite phase. As the transformation proceeds, the alloy experiences a significant increase in strain with little or no corresponding increase in stress. The strain increases while the stress remains substantially constant until the transformation of the austenite phase to the martensite phase is complete. Thereafter, the stress needs to be further increased to cause further deformation. Martensitic metals first deform elastically and then plastically with a permanent residual deformation when additional stress is applied.

If the load on the specimen is removed before any permanent deformation occurs, the martensite phase specimen will elastically recover and transform back to the austenite phase. The reduction in stress leads first to a reduction in strain. When the stress reduction reaches a level at which the martensite phase transforms back to the austenite phase, the stress level in the sample will remain substantially constant (but substantially less than the constant stress level at which austenite transforms to martensite) until the transformation back to the austenite phase is complete, i.e., the strain is significantly recovered, with a negligible corresponding stress reduction. The alloy is structurally stronger and harder in the austenite phase than in the martensite phase. After the transformation to austenite is completed, further stress reduction results in a reduction in elastic strain. This ability to produce significant strain under relatively constant stress when a load is applied and to recover from deformation when the load is removed is commonly referred to as superelasticity or "shape memory".

The transition between the martensite and austenite phases can be controlled by the material temperature. The shape material is fully martensitic when the shape material is cooler than the final martensitic transformation temperature Mf, and fully austenitic when the material is heated above the final austenitic transformation temperature Af. At temperatures between the final martensite transition temperature Mf and the final austenite transition temperature Af, the alloy may be partially martensitic and partially austenitic. These shape memory alloys are stronger in the fully austenitic phase than in the martensitic state, but no longer superelastic. When the shape memory alloy structure is heated, it will return or attempt to return to its original thermally stable shape.

The superelastic metal alloy may include nickel, titanium, and other elements, such as: niobium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten and gold. The ratio of nickel and titanium in the superelastic alloy will change the martensite/austenite transition temperature. Alloys with more than 50.5 atomic% nickel have a full transition temperature from the martensite phase to the austenite phase (Af) which is below the human body temperature, so austenite is the only stable phase at body temperature. The alloy preferably has an Af of from about 24 ℃ to about 37 ℃ and an Mf of from about 25 to about 50 ℃ lower than the Af.

In an attempt to minimize the maximum strain experienced by the struts, rings and bridges, the present invention utilizes a structural geometry that distributes the strain to the regions of the medical wafer that are less prone to failure, for example, referring to FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 3, one of the weakest regions of the medical wafer 50 is the inner surface S of the connecting ring 62 defined by the inner radius, which experiences the greatest deformation and therefore has the highest strain level of all medical wafer features.

It is also desirable to minimize local strain concentrations on the bridge 70 and the bridge junctions 72, 74. This can be achieved by making efficient use of the material in the struts 60, with the rings 62 and bridges 70 adding strength and capacity. The medical sheet 50 of the present invention provides structural support. These strain concentrations can also be minimized by utilizing the largest possible radius of curvature in the bridge 70 while maintaining a characteristic width that is proportional to the force applied. Another way to minimize strain concentration is to minimize the maximum open area between the struts 60, loops 62 and bridges 70 in the expanded medical sheet.

These design features are shown in fig. 2. The largest radius curvature feature in the medical sheet of the present invention is that at the bridge-to-ring connection 76, it is asymmetric with respect to the center 64 of the strut connecting ring 62. In other words, the bridge-loop connection. The point centers 76 are offset from the center 64 of the ring 62 to which they are attached. The asymmetric bridge connection 76 is particularly advantageous for medical sheets 50 having a large expansion ratio because such sheets have extreme bending requirements and large elastic strains. In the preferred embodiment, there is also a geometric relationship between the width and thickness of the rings 62 and struts 60. As shown in fig. 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the medical sheet 50 has a strut connecting ring 62 having a width W4, as measured at the center 64. The width W4 of the attachment ring 62 is greater than the width W2 of the strut 60. Preferably, the thickness of the rings 62 varies such that they are thickest near their centers 64. This increases strain deformation at the struts 60 and reduces the maximum strain level at the polar radius of the ring 62. This width to thickness relationship reduces the risk of medical sheet failure and maximizes strength characteristics. Also, this design feature is particularly advantageous for medical sheets having a large expansion ratio and thus having a very large bending and large elastic strain.

In a preferred embodiment, there is also a geometrical relationship between the axial width of the struts, rings and bridges and the thickness of the medical wafer. Refer to fig. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the axial widths of the struts 60, loops 62 and bridges 70, W2, W4 and W3 (respectively) should be equal to or less than the thickness T of the medical sheet 50 shown in FIG. 3. when the medical sheet 50 is in a compressed state, most of the bending occurs in the plane of the medical sheet 50. Thus, substantially all bending, and therefore all strain, is "out-of-plane". This minimizes distortion of the medical wafer 50 and minimizes or eliminates buckling and unpredictable strain conditions. This feature is also advantageous for medical sheets having a large expansion ratio and thus having great bending requirements and large elastic strains.

If the width of the bridge, ring and struts is greater than the material thickness, they are more resistant to in-plane bending than out-of-plane bending. In this configuration, the bridges and struts tend to bend out of plane, which can lead to unpredictable buckling conditions and potentially high strains. These problems have been solved by reducing the width of these features to be equal to or less than the material thickness.

Nitinol can withstand a very large amount of elastic strain deformation, and therefore the above characteristics are very suitable for medical sheets made from this alloy. This feature allows maximum utilization of nitinol or other material capabilities to enhance radial strength, improve medical patch strength uniformity, improve fatigue life by minimizing local strain levels and improve medical patch apposition in irregular organ wall shapes and curves.

Another design feature that improves uniform expansion of the medical wafer is the angle of the bridges connecting adjacent elongated sections of the medical wafer of the present invention. Strain is applied to the struts and the ring as the medical wafer transitions from its compressed state to its expanded state. The force of the expanding struts and rings is transferred to the bridge ends and changes the angle of the bridge relative to the ring to which they are attached. As shown in fig. 1 and 2. As shown in fig. 1,2 and 5, the angle of the bridge 70 connecting the first elongate strip 52(a) to the second elongate strip 52(b) and the third elongate strip 52(c) to the fourth elongate strip 52(d) is angled in the same manner from left to right up, but the bridge connected between the second elongate strip 52(b) and the third elongate strip 52(c) is angled in the opposite direction from left to right. This pattern of alternating bridging angles between the elongate strips will continue through the medical wafer with the additional elongate strips. The alternating bridge 70 diagonal pattern improves the rigidity of the medical wafer 50 and minimizes any asymmetric movement or misalignment of the medical wafer 50 within the patient. Such a symmetric deformation is particularly beneficial if the medical sheet begins to shear in vivo.

In an alternative embodiment shown in fig. 1, as shown in fig. 6, the medical wafer 55 has elongated strips 51(a) -51(c) that extend transversely across the length of the medical wafer 55. Adjacent elongate strips 51(a) -51(c) include struts 60 and loops 62. Adjacent elongate strips 51(a) -51(c) are connected to each other by a bridge 70. The elongate strips 51(a) -51(c) extend horizontally along the length of the medical wafer 55. Rather than extending across the width of the medical sheet as shown in fig. 1 and 2. The ends of the elongate strips 52(a) -52(c) form the flexible sides 43 of the medical sheet 55, the edges of the medical sheet 55 being formed by the elongate upper sides. The underside of the strips 52(a) and elongate strips 52(c) are the expandable sides 45 of the medical sheet 55 the longitudinal axis 83 extends between the telescoping sides 43 of the intermediate sheet 55.

In addition to changing the direction of expansion, the alignment of the elongate strips will also affect the mechanical properties of the medical sheet in the expanded state. Refer to fig. 1. As shown in fig. 5, the repair matrix is more elastic in the expanded state in a direction along the longitudinal direction L of the elongate strips 52(a) -52 (d). In contrast, the elongate strips 52(a) -52(d) are less elastic across their width W. Thus, the medical sheet shown in fig. 1 and 2 may comprise a plurality of elongate strips. Fig. 1 and 2 with vertically oriented elongate strips 52(a) -52(d) will be more vertically elastic in the deployed state. Similarly, the medical paper shown in fig. 1. The elongate strips shown in fig. 6 have horizontally oriented elongate strips 51(a) -51(c) and have greater horizontal elasticity in the expanded state.

The foregoing is illustrative and explanatory of the invention and is not intended to limit the advantages attainable thereby, and it is within the scope of the present application for any one or more of the advantages to be realized, whether simple changes in construction and/or implementation in some embodiments are possible in the practice of the invention.

Claims (7)

1. A novel medical wafer implantable in a patient, comprising: comprising a) a planar member having a thickness, first and second expandable sides, first and second retractable sides, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first and second retractable sides, the planar member having a first smaller area location for insertion into a patient and a second larger area location for implantation into the patient; b) a planar member comprising a plurality of adjacent strips extending parallel to each other along a longitudinal axis of the planar member, the strips comprising a plurality of longitudinal struts and a plurality of loops connecting adjacent struts; c) a plurality of bridges connecting adjacent strips to each other at bridge-to-ring connection points, wherein the bridge-to-ring connection points of each bridge are angularly spaced relative to the longitudinal axis; d) a plurality of amorphous circles, wherein some of the amorphous circles are connected to at least some of the plurality of rings.

2. A novel medical wafer implantable in a patient according to claim 1, characterized in that: the loop includes a curved substantially semi-circular portion having a center, and the bridge-loop connection point is offset from the center of the loop.

3. A novel medical wafer implantable in a patient according to claim 1, characterized in that: at least some of the plurality of amorphous circles have concentric holes.

4. A novel medical wafer implantable in a patient according to claim 1, characterized in that: some of the plurality of non-wafers are attached to the plurality of bridges.

5. A novel medical wafer implantable in a patient according to claim 1, characterized in that: the width of the bridge, ring and struts is less than the thickness of the planar member.

6. A novel medical wafer implantable in a patient according to claim 1, characterized in that: some of the plurality of non-wafers are attached to some of the plurality of posts.

7. A novel medical wafer implantable in a patient according to claim 1, characterized in that: the amorphous circle has rounded edges.

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