Method for preventing surgical adhesions using a dilute solution of polymer

Claim 1

A method of preventing post-operative surgical adhesions of tissue in surgery comprising providing said tissue surfaces involved in said surgery with a wet coating of a physiologically acceptable aqueous solution of a hydrophilic, polymeric material prior to manipulation of said tissue during said surgery, wherein: (A) said polymeric material is a water-soluble, biocompatible, pharmaceutically acceptable polyelectrolyte polysaccharide, excluding hyaluronic acid having a molecular weight above about 1,500,00; a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of said polysaccharide or mixtures thereof; and (B) said polysaccharide has a molecular weight of about 500,000 or above, and the concentration in said aqueous solution of said polysaccharide is in the range of from about 0.01% to about 15%, by weight; said molecular weight and concentration having values such that said aqueous solution is capable of providing wet coatings on said tissue.

Claim 2

A method of preventing post-operative surgical adhesions of tissue in surgery comprising providing said tissue surfaces involved in said surgery with a wet coating of a physiologically acceptable aqueous solution of a hydrophilic, polymeric material prior to manipulation of said tissue during said surgery, wherein: (A) said polymeric material is a water-soluble, biocompatible, pharmaceutically acceptable polyelectrolyte polysaccharide, excluding hyaluronic acid having a molecular weight above about 1,500,00; a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of said polysaccharide or mixtures thereof; and (B) said polysaccharide has a molecular weight of about 500,000 or above, and the concentration in said aqueous solution of said polysaccharide is in the range of from about 0.01% to about 15%, by weight; said molecular weight and concentration having values such that said aqueous solution is capable of providing wet coatings on said tissue.

Claim 8

A method of preventing post-operative surgical adhesions of tissue in surgery comprising providing said tissue surfaces involved in said surgery with a wet coating of a physiologically acceptable aqueous solution of a hydrophilic, polymeric material prior to manipulation of said tissue during said surgery, wherein: (A) said polymeric material is a water-soluble, biocompatible, pharmaceutically acceptable hyaluronic acid, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof having a molecular weight above about 1,500,000, or mixtures thereof; and (B) the concentration in said aqueous solution of said hyaluronic acid, salt or mixture is in the range of from about 0.01% to less than about 1%, by weight; said molecular weight and concentration having values such that said aqueous solution is capable of providing wet coatings on said tissue.

Claim 9

A method of preventing post-operative surgical adhesions of tissue in surgery comprising providing said tissue surfaces involved in said surgery with a wet coating of a physiologically acceptable aqueous solution of a hydrophilic, polymeric material prior to manipulation of said tissue during said surgery, wherein: (A) said polymeric material is a water-soluble, biocompatible, pharmaceutically acceptable hyaluronic acid, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof having a molecular weight above about 1,500,000, or mixtures thereof; and (B) the concentration in said aqueous solution of said hyaluronic acid, salt or mixture is in the range of from about 0.01% to less than about 1%, by weight; said molecular weight and concentration having values such that said aqueous solution is capable of providing wet coatings on said tissue.