Hydrophilic foam compositions

Claim 1

A composite for use in a wound dressing comprising a substrate, a medically acceptable adhesive deposited on said substrate and a hydrophilic foam composition carried by said adhesive, said composition comprising the in situ reaction product of: (a) an isocyanate-capped polyether prepolymer, (b) a polymeric hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water, (c) an adjuvant comprising an alcohol selected from the group consisting of water soluble monols, diols and polyhydric alcohols, (d) a wetting agent, and (e) water, said hydrophilic foam composition releasably carrying said adjuvant so that said foam composition is capable of absorbing an external liquid and tightly carrying said liquid in preference to at least a portion of said adjuvant so that said adjuvant is released in the presence of the external liquid.

Claim 5

A method for making a composite for use in a wound dressing comprising: providing a substrate, applying a medically acceptable adhesive to said substrate, applying a reactant composition to said adhesive, said reactant composition comprising an isocyanate-capped polyether prepolymer, a polymeric hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water, an adjuvant comprising an alcohol selected from the group consisting of water soluble monols, diols and polyhydric alcohols, a wetting agent and water, and curing said reactant composition while it is in contact with said adhesive.

Claim 6

A method for making a composite for use in a wound dressing comprising: providing a substrate, applying a medically acceptable adhesive to said substrate, applying a reactant composition to said adhesive, said reactant composition comprising an isocyanate-capped polyether prepolymer, a polymeric hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water, an adjuvant comprising an alcohol selected from the group consisting of water soluble monols, diols and polyhydric alcohols, a wetting agent and water, and curing said reactant composition while it is in contact with said adhesive.

Claim 7

A method for making a composite for use in a wound dressing comprising: providing a substrate, applying a medically acceptable adhesive to said substrate, applying a reactant composition to said adhesive, said reactant composition comprising (a) an isocyanate-capped polyether prepolymer having an isocyanate equivalent weight of from about 0.5 meq/g to about 3 meq/g; (b) a hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water and having a fluid uptake of at least about 50 ml of water per gram of said agent, and wherein said hydrophilic agent comprises a hydrophilic material which is a member selected from the group consisting of starch grafted copolymers of acrylate salts, starch grafted copolymers of acrylamide salts, polyacrylate salts and mixtures thereof; (c) an adjuvant comprising an alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol sorbitol, and mixtures thereof; (d) a wetting agent comprising a non-ionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, ethoxylated sorbitan fatty acid esters, glycerol esters, polyglycerol esters, silicone fluids and mixtures thereof; and (e) water, curing said reactant composition while it is in contact with said adhesive to form a foam composition that is unreleasably attached to said adhesive, said foam composition releasably carrying said adjuvant so that said foam composition is capable of absorbing an external liquid and tightly carrying said liquid in preference to at least a portion of said adjuvant so that said adjuvant is released from said foam composition in the presence of the external liquid.

Claim 8

A method for making a composite for use in a wound dressing comprising: providing a substrate, applying a medically acceptable adhesive to said substrate, applying a reactant composition to said adhesive, said reactant composition comprising (a) an isocyanate-capped polyether prepolymer having an isocyanate equivalent weight of from about 0.5 meq/g to about 3 meq/g; (b) a hydrophilic agent capable of absorbing water and having a fluid uptake of at least about 50 ml of water per gram of said agent, and wherein said hydrophilic agent comprises a hydrophilic material which is a member selected from the group consisting of starch grafted copolymers of acrylate salts, starch grafted copolymers of acrylamide salts, polyacrylate salts and mixtures thereof; (c) an adjuvant comprising an alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol sorbitol, and mixtures thereof; (d) a wetting agent comprising a non-ionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of block copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, ethoxylated sorbitan fatty acid esters, glycerol esters, polyglycerol esters, silicone fluids and mixtures thereof; and (e) water, curing said reactant composition while it is in contact with said adhesive to form a foam composition that is unreleasably attached to said adhesive, said foam composition releasably carrying said adjuvant so that said foam composition is capable of absorbing an external liquid and tightly carrying said liquid in preference to at least a portion of said adjuvant so that said adjuvant is released from said foam composition in the presence of the external liquid.