Prevention of prosthesis calcification
AssigneeBiomedical Design, Inc.
InventorJean-Marie Girardot
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for retarding or preventing the calcification of a prosthesis implanted in a mammal by covalently coupling to the prosthesis before implantation an effective amount of an anticalcification agent in the form of an aliphatic carboxylic acid, or a derivative thereof, which contains from about 8 to about 30 carbon atoms and which may be straight-chain or branched-chain and saturated or unsaturated. Such acid is substituted by at least one amino, mercapto, carboxyl or hydroxyl group by which the covalent coupling takes place. For a natural tissue prosthesis, such coupling may be to an aldehyde group of gluteraldehyde in which the tissue is pre-soaked.
Claims11
A prosthesis suitable for implantation in a mammal, which prosthesis has an amount of an anticalcification agent covalently coupled thereto sufficient to retard or prohibit the calcification of the prosthesis, which anticalcification agent comprises an aliphatic straight-chain or branched-chain, saturated or unsaturated, carboxylic acid or a derivative thereof, which acid contains from about 8 to about 30 carbon atoms, and which acid is substituted with an amino group, a mercapto group, a carboxyl group or a hydroxyl group, which group is covalently coupled to said prosthesis.
The prosthesis of claim 4, in which said substituent is an amino group.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.