Medshape, Inc.

Kathryn Smith

Jack C Griffis, Iii

Kenneth A Gall

Stephen Lee Laffoon

David Lee Safranski

Kenneth Dupont

Mary K Pitz

Annie E Macedo

Kadija N McAnuff

The disclosure describes a method including manufacturing a shape memory polymer fabric with a collection of shape memory polymer fibers such that the resulting shape memory polymer fabric has a glass transition temperature of greater than 50 degrees centigrade. The method further includes training the shape memory polymer fabric with a pre-determined percentage of strain between an expanded shape and a contracted shape. The method further includes preparing a portion of the shape memory polymer fabric into a shape that is sized to cover two portions of a ruptured soft tissue of an animal with a mean body temperature below 40 degrees centigrade while the fabric has the predetermined percentage of strain stored in the expanded shape.

Shape memory polymer fabrics

Provided herein are shape memory polymer spinal cages including polymers with intended deployment at temperatures far below the onset of the glassy transition of the shape memory polymer. The described shape memory polymer spinal cages are adapted to be deployed by mechanical activation rather than thermal activation or activation by other stimuli. Thus, the shape memory polymers used herein are configured to have transition temperatures far above their temperatures of intended use, thereby requiring mechanical activation to recover stored strains.

Mechanically-activated shape memory polymer spinal cage

Soft tissue anchor

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Atlanta, GA, United States of America

Kathryn Smith