| abstract |
A percutaneous access device (PAD) is provided with a sleeve or separable member which may be detached from the device to enable the culturing of a multilayer fibroblast coating on the member in a stable and undisturbed environment. The member is constructed so that when it is assembled into the device and the device is implanted in a patient, the cultured coating of the member is exposed to the patient's dermis whose fibroblasts will, after a relatively short healing period, merge with the fibroblasts of the coating to form a barrier layer interlocked with the member to prevent epidermal ingrowth or marsupialization of the implanted device. n Implantation techniques for further facilitating the formation of the dermal barrier are also disclosed. |