MEDICAL FABRIC WITH INTEGRATED SHAPE MEMORY POLYMER

摘要

Formulations of shape memory polymer (SMP) are integrated with several existing clinically available medical fabrics. The SMP portion of a SMP integrated fabric can be fabricated in varying thicknesses with the minimum thickness determined by the thickness of the underlying fabric and up to almost any thickness. A large variety of patterns may be formed in SMP integrated fabrics based upon how the shape memory polymer is integrated into the base fabric. Integration of the SMP with the base fabrics does not alter the shape memory functionality of the SMP. The design tools for controlling activation rate for traditional SMP materials thus apply to SMP integrated fabrics. SMP integrated fabrics may also be steam sterilized without loss of shape memory functionality. By using multiple formulations of SMP on a single piece of fabric, a large combination of material properties may be provided within a single SMP integrated fabric device.