| abstract |
This invention is designed to help restrain small structural or minor fracture fragments (5), and the macromolecules they produce (8) in specified compartment. The device is composed of a single sheet of material (1) that in its principal embodiment is supplied as a thin, pliable, fabric that is flexible in three dimensions and is minimally porous to macromolecules. When the method of use contains the secondary step of affixing a treating material (12) to the device prior to use, additional materials can be delivered directly and preferentially into specific compartments. Moreover, because the device can be made of a soft fabric, a needle can be passed through the device and additional treating materials can be repeatedly injected into and contained after the device has been deployed. The invention also permits delivery of energy (23)directly and specifically to the treated surface. The rate of repair can be further accelerated by the attachment of a treating material (12), either mechanically or by chemical bond (24), to one surface of the device. |