Importance

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Abstract

A surgical barrier material comprising a water-soluble polysaccharide, glycerol, and water, wherein the water-soluble polysaccharide by weight and glycerol by volume are present at a ratio of about 1:0.8 to 1:1.2, and wherein water is present at 8-20 wt %, wherein the water-soluble polysaccharide may be, for example, a cellulose, such as methyl cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose or a salt thereof (CMC), hyaluronic acid (HA) or a combination thereof and may have a molecular weight of 30,000 g/mol to 500,000 g/mol. The surgical barrier material is solid and flexible, typically possessing an elastic modulus of 0.5-2 MPa and penetration resistance of at least 1 Newton, and substantially dissolves within 72, 48, 24, 12, 6, 3, or 2 hours from the time it is placed at a surgical site. Also described herein is a method of preventing injury to tissue in a patient during a surgical procedure by using the described surgical barrier material as a protective barrier during the surgical procedure.

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First Claim