the preferred medical device of the present invention is a composite of a resilient bioabsorbable support member attached to a implantable sheet of flexible non - bioabsorbable polymeric material suitable for use as a tissue repair material . both components of the preferred composite have a planar form . as seen in fig2 , for example , the preferred implantable device of the present invention ( 140 ) is a generally planar sheet of flexible , tissue - compliant , non - bioabsorbable biocompatible polymeric material ( 142 ). suitable polymeric materials include , but are not limited to , polypropylene , polyethylene , nylon , and polytetrafluoroethylene . the preferred polymeric material is an expanded , porous , polytetrafluoroethylene made according to u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 953 , 566 and 4 , 187 , 390 , both issued to gore . there are two implantable sheet materials that are most preferred . one most preferred implantable sheet material is a tissue repair patch made of porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene ( eptfe ) available from w . l . gore & amp ; associates , inc ., medical products division , flagstaff , ariz . under the tradename gore - tex ® dualmesh ® biomaterial as part number 1dlmc04 . the other most preferred implantable sheet material is a porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene ( eptfe ) material with an anti - microbial agent associated therewith . an antimicrobial treatment may be provided on the implantable sheet per , for example , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 019 , 096 issued to fox , jr ., et al . the final product is available from w . l . gore & amp ; associates , inc ., medical products division , flagstaff , ariz . under the tradename gore - tex ® dualmesh ® plus biomaterial as part number 1dlmcp04 . these most preferred materials have an oval shape with sizes in a range from 7 . 5 cm × 10 . 0 cm to 26 . 0 cm × 34 . 0 cm . other planar shapes such as circles , squares , triangles , and custom - fitted shapes are also contemplated for use in the present invention . regardless of the shape , suitable implantable sheet materials range in size from as small as 1 . 0 cm × 1 . 0 cm to as large as 50 . 0 cm × 50 . 0 cm , with 5 . 0 cm × 5 . 0 cm to 40 . 0 cm × 40 . 0 cm sized pieces being preferred , and pieces in a range from about 7 . 0 cm × 7 . 0 cm to about 20 . 0 cm × 20 . 0 cm being most preferred . suitable polymeric materials for the bioabsorbable support member include , but are not limited to a block co - polymer of polyglycolic acid and trimethylene carbonate ( pga / tmc ), polylactic acid / polyglycolic acid ( pla / pga ), or other homopolymers , copolymers , or polymeric blends derived from other biocompatible bioabsorbable monomeric components . such homopolymers or copolymers can be comprised of varying amounts of one or more of the following monomer examples : glycolide , d , l - lactide , l - lactide , d - lactide , p - dioxanone ( 1 , 4 - dioxane - 2 - one ), trimethylene carbonate ( 1 , 3 - dioxane - 2 - one ), ε - caprolactone , gamma .- butyrolactone , delta .- valerolactone , 1 , 4 - dioxepan - 2 - one , and 1 , 5 - dioxepan - 2 - one . other bioabsorbable polymeric constituents may include polyethylene glycol , polypropylene glycol , n - vinyl pyrrolidone , amino acids , anhydrides , orthoesters , phosphazines , amides , urethanes , and phosphoesters . alternative copolymers may possess , in whole or in part , combinations of block , segmented , random , alternating , or statistical polymeric construction characteristics . the preferred polymeric material is a semi - crystalline segmented block copolymer of 67 % pga : 33 % tmc . the ratios of the pga : tmc constituents can be adjusted during synthesis to alter the mechanical strength , bioabsorption rates , and processability of the co - polymer . the preferred polymeric material is pga / tmc . the ratios of the pga / tmc constituents can be adjusted during synthesis to alter the mechanical strength , bioabsorption rates , and processability of the co - polymer . of particular significance with respect to the present invention is the ability of pga / tmc co - polymers to change in shape from a compacted , or rolled , configuration to an uncompacted , or flattened , configuration without undergoing a thermal transition . accordingly , devices of the present invention can be introduced , self - expanded , or unraveled , and secured at normal human body temperatures , or below . in some embodiments , the resilient bioabsorbable support member has a surface area less than the surface area of the implantable sheet material and lies within the perimeter of the implantable sheet material . this arrangement provides an unobstructed border area ( 144 ) on the implantable sheet material ( 142 ) that circumscribes the support member ( 100 ). the border area is available for sutures , staples , tacks , and / or other surgical fasteners . useful border widths range from 0 . 3 cm to about 3 . 0 cm , with a preferred range from 0 . 5 cm to 2 . 0 cm , and a most preferred range between 0 . 8 cm to 1 . 2 cm . the resilient bioabsorbable support member preferably has the same outer dimensions as the implantable non - bioabsorbable sheet material ( fig3 ). in the most preferred embodiment , a bioabsorbable support member having the pattern shown in fig1 is sized to cover the entire surface are of a non - bioabsorbable sheet material without forming a border area . with resilient bioabsorbable support members having a thickness in a range from about 0 . 05 mm to about 2 . 0 mm , the thickness of the resilient bioabsorbable support member can serve as an important feature of the present invention . during laproscopic procedures , for example , a clearly perceivable tactile change is felt when manually operated surgical instruments ( 160 ) are moved across the surface of the resilient bioabsorbable support member and dropped off an edge of the support member onto the implantable sheet material ( fig4 g , arrow ( 162 )). a surgeon can take advantage of this “ tactile step ” to detect the border area of the implantable sheet material by feel . knowing the location of the border area of the implantable sheet material permits the surgeon to confine placement of surgical fasteners to the border area and refrain from placing fasteners through the bioabsorbable support member . in addition to a tactile step , differences in surface characteristics between the implantable sheet material and the bioabsorbable support member material can also provide additional tactile feedback to a surgeon . these tactile characteristics include , but are not limited to , surface texture , hardness , and / or lubriciousness . adhesion of the bioabsorbable support member to the implantable sheet material is preferably accomplished by softening the surface of the bioabsorbable support member that interfaces with the device through the application of solvents or heat . in addition to softening the bioabsorbable polymer material of the support member to attach the support member to the implantable sheet material , the bioabsorbable support member can adhered to the implantable sheet material with a bio - absorbable adhesive . examples of the bio - absorbable adhesives include , but are not limited to , fibrin glue , collagen , a solution of polylactic acid - polyglycolic acid ( pla : pga ) copolymers carried in a suitable solvent and allowed to dry . suitable bioabsorbable polymeric materials include , but are not limited to amorphous copolymers of pla : pga , or other homopolymers , copolymers , or polymeric blends derived from other biocompatible bioabsorbable monomeric components . such homopolymers or copolymers can be comprised of varying amounts of one or more of the following monomer examples : glycolide , d , l - lactide , l - lactide , d - lactide , p - dioxanone ( 1 , 4 - dioxane - 2 - one ), trimethylene carbonate ( 1 , 3 - dioxane - 2 - one ), ε - caprolactone , gamma .- butyrolactone , delta .- valerolactone , 1 , 4 - dioxepan - 2 - one , and 1 , 5 - dioxepan - 2 - one . other bioabsorbable polymeric constituents may include polyethylene glycol , polypropylene glycol , n - vinyl pyrrolidone , amino acids , anhydrides , orthoesters , phosphazines , amides , urethanes , and phosphoesters . copolymers may possess , in whole or in part , combinations of block , segmented , random , alternating , or statistical polymeric construction characteristics . adhesion is a complex subject involving combined mechanical and physico - chemical phenomena operating simultaneously with any given adhesive or adhesion scheme . accordingly , no single theory is adequate to explain adhesion . generally speaking , however , adhesives work by one of two mechanisms . the first mechanism is based on a thermodynamic model attributed to sharpe and schonhorn ( l . h . sharpe and h . schonhorn , chem . eng . news 15 : 67 ( 1963 )). the model is based on a belief that interatomic and intermolecular forces established at an interface between a substrate and an adhesive cause the adhesive to adhere to the substrate . the most common interfacial forces are thought to result from van der waals and lewis acid - base interactions . adequate wetting of the substrate surface with an adhesive is another important aspect of forming adhesive bonds . with regard to the present invention , releasable adhesive bonds include formation of physico - chemical bonds between the bioabsorbable support member , the implantable sheet material , and the adhesive ( or within the adhesive itself ) that are capable of holding the substrate materials together during implantation procedures . the other adhesion mechanism is a mechanical interlocking , or anchoring , of an adhesive material with cavities , pores , asperities , or other surface topographies of a substrate material ( j . w . macbain and d . g . hopkins , j . phys . chem . 29 : 88 ( 1925 )). porous materials may also have subsurface openings that become filled and interlocked with an adhesive material . though distinct in theory , both of these mechanisms are operable in forming most adhesive bonds , albeit to different degrees . the support member component ( 100 ) of the present invention ( fig2 , et seq .) is made of a resilient bioabsorbable polymeric material in generally planar form . the bioabsorbable support member can be constructed of a single material or plurality of materials in the form of a composite . the resilience of the bioabsorbable support member can be an inherent property of the polymeric material or supplied to the polymeric material with a framework structure . shown in fig9 are partial cross sectional views of support members 100 incorporating various framework structures . shown are circular shaped framework structures 560 embedded within the support member 100 . also shown are rectangular framework structures 562 and a square framework structure 564 , all embedded within the support member 100 , support structures 560 , 562 , 564 can have any cross section shape in order to supply resilience to the support member . for example , a bioabsorbable support member can have an essential , circular , oval , triangle , square , rectangle or other polygon cross section . the bioabsorbable support structure can also be formed from composites , laminates , weaves , yarns or other suitable forms . while various forms are contemplated for the resilient bioabsorbable support member ( fig5 - 7 ), the preferred form is illustrated in fig1 . another preferred form for the bioabsorbable support member is illustrated in fig1 . regardless of the shape and size of the bioabsorbable support member , the support member can be attached to either , or both , sides of a non - bioabsorbable sheet material . additional material can be added to the present invention to alter the performance of the invention . for example , a layer of a porous hydrophobic non - biodegradable material such as eptfe can be placed over the bioabsorbable support member as a barrier to aqueous fluids . such a hydrophobic barrier would delay aqueous fluids from contacting and hydrolyzing the bioabsorbable support member . delaying bio - absorption of the support member would allow the support member to function for a longer period as a support before loosing mechanical strength due to the bio - absorption process . in other embodiments , the bio - absorbable support material is coated with other polymeric materials that impact the mechanical strength of the support material and / or the absorption rate of the support material . bioactive compounds can be incorporated into the bioabsorbable and / or non - bioabsorbable component of the present invention for release following implantation . additional layers of materials could be used to control release rates of the bioactive compounds and / or absorption rates of the invention . these various features can be selected and combined in a single device to provide “ programmed ” rates of bio - absorption and bioactive compound release that are optimized for a particular application ( fig9 ). this example describes the construction of a preferred embodiment of the present invention . following formation of a non - bioabsorbable implantable sheet material , a bioabsorbable support member was attached to the implant as follows . the bioabsorbable support member was fabricated from a flat sheet of medical grade block co - polymer of polyglycolic acid - trimethylene carbonate ( pga / tmc ) in a 67 : 33 ratio ; respectively . the pga : tmc copolymerization is achieved by a sequential addition ring opening polymerization of the cyclic trimethylene carbonate and glycolide dimer monomers . synthesis of pga : tmc can be conducted to produce copolymers in segmented and / or simple block form . methods for pga : tmc synthesis are described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 243 , 775 and 4 , 300 , 565 both to rosensaft , et al and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 429 , 080 to casey , et al ., each of which is incorporated herein by reference . other desirable copolymeric ratios and / or block structures may necessitate the use of different variations in polymerization conditions and / or methods . both glycolide and trimethylene carbonate monomers are available from bi chemicals , petersburg , va . usa . a 33 % weight to weight ratio of tmc to pga segmented triblock copolymer may be obtained from united states surgical , a unit of tyco healthcare group lp , norwalk , conn . the flat sheet was cut into the pattern shown in fig1 with a perforating co 2 laser system ( laserage technology corp , waukegan , ill .). the bioabsorbable support member was sized to cover the implantable sheet material without a border area . an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene ( eptfe ), 15 cm × 19 cm oval hernia repair patch , tradenamed gore - tex ® dualmesh ® biomaterial available from the medical products division of w . l . gore & amp ; associates , inc . ( flagstaff , ariz .) as part number 1dlmc04 was obtained . as seen in fig2 b , the gore - tex ® dualmesh ® biomaterial product ( 142 ) has a different texture ( 203 ) on each side of the sheet . one side ( 202 ) is designed to prevent or limit tissue adhesions or other tissue attachments thereto . the other side ( 203 ) is roughened to encourage tissue attachment or ingrowth of cells or cellular process therewithin . once the eptfe sheet was obtained and the bioabsorbable support member was fabricated , the two were attached by coating the interface surfaces with a solution of polylactic acid - polyglycolic acid ( pla : pga ) in a ratio of 85 : 15 , respectively which was rendered into liquid form by dissolving in acetone . the gore - tex ® dualmesh ® biomaterial was oriented so that the “ tissue adhesion barrier ” side ( 202 ) was against the bioabsorbable support member ( 530 ). though the bioabsorbable support member could have been placed on the non - tissue adhesion side of the gore - tex ® dualmesh ® biomaterial . once the surfaces were coated , the components were pressed and held together between aluminum shims on a flat block ( fig8 ). the assembly was allowed to dry overnight . the result was an implantable medical device of the present invention comprising a non - bioabsorbable implantable sheet material attached to a bioabsorbable support member that is self - expandable in situ without the need for an extrinsically applied force or a thermal transition of the support member material . this example describes the construction of a resilient polymeric bioabsorbable support member attached to a non - bioabsorbable implantable sheet material having an anti - microbial treatment applied thereto . a bioabsorbable support member was constructed from a polylactic acid - polyglycolic acid co - polymer ( pla / pga ) having a weight percent ratio of 85 : 15 , respectively . an implantable eptfe sheet material with an anti - microbial treatment was obtained from the medical products division of w . l . gore & amp ; associates , inc ., flagstaff , ariz . under the tradename gore - tex ® dualmesh ® plus biomaterial as part number 1dlmcp04 . the dimensions of both components were the same so the bioabsorbable sheet member covered the implantable sheet material . the bioabsorbable support member was attached to the implantable sheet material by placing the two component together under restraint and exerting moderate pressure ( e . g ., 20 - 50 psi ) in an apparatus ( fig8 a ) to the combination . the combination was heated to a temperature between 110 degrees and 125 degrees centigrade for approximately five ( 5 ) minutes . upon cooling of the combination under restraint and removal from the apparatus , the result was an implantable medical device of the present invention comprising a non - bioabsorbable implantable sheet material with anti - microbial properties attached to a bioabsorbable support member that is self - expandable in situ without the need for an extrinsically applied force or a thermal transition of the support member material .
the present invention is a composite medical device having a non - bioabsorbable implantable tissue repair or reconstruction component and a resilient bioabsorbable support member component that aids in deployment and placement of the implantable component at a surgical site . following deployment , the support member component is readily bioabsorbed and removed from the implantable component . the invention is particularly useful in laproscopic , endoluminal , and other surgical procedures .