Method and composition for reducing postsurgical adhesions

Claim 2

A process for reducing post-surgical adhesion formation/reformation following surgical injury to organs situated in the mammalian peritoneal or pleural cavity, comprising separating said organs from adjacent tissue with an effective amount of a composition comprising: a polyoxyalkylene block copolymer of the formula Y[(A).sub.n --E--H].sub.x (I) wherein A is an oxyalkylene moiety having an oxygen/carbon atom ratio of less than 0.5, x is at least 1, Y is derived from water or an organic compound containing x reactive hydrogen atoms, E is a polyoxyethylene moiety, n has a value such that the average molecular weight of A is at least about 500 to about 900, as determined by the hydroxyl number of an intermediate, Y[(A).sub.n --H].sub.x (II) and the total average molecular weight of the copolymer is at least 5000.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein Y in said formulas I and II is a water soluble organic compound having 1-6 carbon atoms, and said copolymer is selected from the group consisting of a polyoxyethylene-polyoxybutylene block copolymer, a polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer and mixtures thereof, wherein the polyoxyethylene moiety constitutes at least 70% by weight of the polymer and wherein said composition includes a physiologically acceptable carrier liquid.

Claim 4

The process of claim 2 wherein said copolymer is selected from block copolymers which form aqueous gels at a concentration of about 10-40% by weight of the total weight of said composition.

Claim 5

The process of claim 3 wherein said Y is derived from a compound selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, butylene glycol, glycerin, pentaerythritol, trimethylolpropane, ethylenediamine, and mixtures thereof, and said carrier liquid is water.

Claim 6

The process of claim 4 wherein Y is derived from propylene glycol, A is the residue of propylene oxide, and the intermediate of Formula II has an average molecular weight of at least about 900.

Claim 7

The process of claim 4 wherein Y is derived from butylene glycol, A is the residue of butylene oxide, and the intermediate of Formula II has an average molecular weight of at least about 500.

Claim 8

The process of claim 5 or claim 6 wherein said polymer has the formula HO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.b (C.sub.4 H.sub.8 O).sub.a (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.b H (III) wherein in III, a is an integer such that the hydrophobe base represented by (C 4 H 8 O) has a molecular weight of at least 1000, as determined by hydroxyl number, the polyoxyethylene chain constitutes at least about 60% by weight of the copolymer, and the copolymer has a total average molecular weight of at least 5,000, or HO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.b (C.sub.3 H.sub.4 O).sub.a (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.b H (IV) wherein in IV, a is an integer such that the hydrophobe base represented by (C 3 H 6 O) has a molecular weight of at least about 1500 average molecular weight, as determined by hydroxyl number, the polyoxyethylene chain constitutes at least about 60% by weight of the copolymer, and the copolymer has a total average molecular weight of at least 5,000 or ##STR3## wherein in V a and b are integers such that the copolymer has a hydrophobe molecular weight of at least about 2000, a hydrophile content of at least about 60%, and a total average molecular weight of at least about 5,000.

Claim 9

The process of claim 7 wherein said copolymer is ##STR4##

Claim 10

The process of claim 8 wherein said copolymer is present is a concentration of about 15% to about 30% by weight of the total weight of said composition and said composition is a liquid at ambient temperature and forms a gel upon contact with said mammalian tissue.

Claim 11

The process of claim 9 wherein said composition contains at least one of a humectant, a bactericide, a bacteriostatic agent, an agent to prevent leucocyte migration into an area of surgical injury, and a fibrinolytic agent.