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US 2014/0350499 A1Published application
Devices and methods for treating spinal cord tissue
AssigneeWake Forest University Health Sciences
InventorsLouis C. Argenta, David L. Carroll, Nicole H. Levi-Polyachenko, Jie Liu, Michael J. Morykwas, Stephen Tatter, William D. Wagner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides devices and methods that treat damaged spinal cord tissue, such as spinal tissue damaged by disease, infection, or trauma, which may lead to the presence of swelling, compression, and compromised blood flow secondary to interstitial edema.
Claims17
An apparatus for treating damaged spinal cord tissue, comprising:
- a porous bio-incorporable material having pore structure configured to permit gaseous communication between one or more pores of the porous bio-incorporable material and the spinal cord tissue to be treated, the porous bio-incorporable material having, at least at a selected surface of the porous bio-incorporable material for placement proximate the damaged spinal cord tissue, pores sufficiently small to prevent the growth of tissue therein;
- and
- a vacuum source for producing sub-atmospheric pressure disposed in gaseous communication with the porous bio-incorporable material for distributing the sub-atmospheric pressure to the spinal cord tissue to be treated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.