CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This PCT application claims priority to copending U.S. patent applications 17/738,847 filed on May 6, 2022 to Bassett et al., entitled "Water Activated Hydrogel-Based Medical Patches, and Methods of Making and Using Such Patches," and 18/142,956 filed on May 3, 2023 to Bassett et al., entitled "Water Activated Hydrogel-Based Medical Patches, Flexible Substrates, and Methods of Making and Using Such Patches," both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention related to hydrogel-based medical patches, and more particularly to method of using such patches as hemostatic patches to control bleeding, surgical sealing, to facilitate healing, and for local drug delivery. The invention further relates to method of making the patches, such as forming melt blends that are cast onto a suitable substrate. Flexible substrates allow for delivery of folded patches for placement in otherwise difficult to reach locations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hydrogels have found a range of uses in medical applications for surgical sealing, drug delivery, tissue fillers, spacers, and the like. In the context of wound healing, hydrogel materials can provide a hydrophilic environment to isolate tissue and facilitate healing. For hemostatic and other wound healing applications, existing products have limitations that provide constraints on their effective use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect, the invention pertains to a medical patch comprising a biocompatible substrate and a dry hydrogel precursor layer on the substrate, the dry hydrogel precursor layer comprising an electrophilic- hydrogel precursor having a plurality of electrophilic functional groups and a nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor having a plurality of protonated amine groups and no more than about 2 weight percent water. Generally, both the electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and the nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor are substantially uncrosslinked, and are blended or in direct contact with each other. In a further aspect, the invention relates to a medical patch comprising a biocompatible substrate and a dry hydrogel precursor layer on the substrate, the dry hydrogel precursor layer comprising a PEG-electrophilic hydrogel precursor having a plurality of arms having terminal reactive electrophilic groups and a PEG-nucleophilic hydrogel precursor having a plurality of arms having terminal protonated amine groups and no more than about 2 weight percent water. Generally, both the PEG-electrophilic hydrogel precursor and the PEG-nucleophilic hydrogel precursor are substantially uncrosslinked, and the dry hydrogel precursor layer forms a crosslinked hydrogel in no more than 5 minutes upon hydration with a physiological solution.

In another aspect, the invention relates to a method for forming a medical patch, the method comprising applying one or more layers of a liquid onto a porous hydrophilic substrate in a dry atmosphere to form a hydrogel precursor layer on the porous hydrophilic substrate, wherein the hydrogel precursor layer comprises a blend of an electrophilic hydrogel precursor and a protected nucleophilic hydrogel precursor, or a stack of sublayers of, respectively, the electrophilic hydrogel precursor and the protected nucleophilic hydrogel precursor in which adjacent sublayers are directly contacting each other. The protected nucleophilic hydrogel precursor comprises an acidified amine, and the liquid comprises the electrophilic hydrogel precursor and/or the protected nucleophilic hydrogel precursor. The liquid comprises a melt or a non-aqueous solution of the electrophilic hydrogel precursor and/or the protected nucleophilic hydrogel precursor.

In other aspects, the invention pertains to a method for using a medical patch, the method comprising: placing one or more medical patches on or in a bleeding defect associated with an organ, wherein the medical patch comprises a biocompatible substrate and an initially dry, substantially uncrosslinked hydrogel precursor layer on the substrate, wherein the layer comprises an electrophilic -hydrogel precursor and a nucleophilic precursor as a blend or in multiple stacked sublayers that directly contact each other.

In additional aspects, the invention pertains to a granular composition comprising a blend of a porous hydrophilic material and hydrogel precursors comprising an electrophilic- hydrogel precursor having a plurality of electrophilic functional groups and a nucleophilic- hydrogel precursor having a plurality of protonated amine groups and no more than about 2 weight percent water. Generally, both the electrophilic -hydrogel precursor and the nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor are substantially uncrosslinked and are in the same granules, or distinct granules, or a combination thereof. The granular composition can be placed in a bleeding defect where it undergoes gelation.

In a further aspect, the invention pertains to medical patch comprising a biocompatible substrate and a hydrogel precursor presenting a surface along one side of the biocompatible substrate, the hydrogel precursor comprising an electrophilic -hydrogel precursor having a plurality of electrophilic functional groups and a nucleophilic-hydrogel precursor having a plurality of nucleophilic functional groups, wherein the biocompatible substrate comprises thermally crosslinked gelatin. The hydrogel precursor extends at least partially into a surface of the biocompatible substrate to form a cohesive hydrogel precursor structure. The cohesive hydrogel precursor structure comprises a blend layer and/or separate adjacent layers of the electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and the nucleophilic-hydrogel precursor, and the medical patch presents a shattered surface of the cohesive hydrogel precursor.

In another aspect, the invention related to a method for forming a medical patch, the method comprising compressing a structure comprising a biocompatible substrate and a hydrogel precursor layer or layers coated onto the substrate from a melt presenting a surface along one side of the biocompatible substrate to form the medical patch, wherein the biocompatible substrate comprises foamed gelatin with a fractured cell structure. The hydrogel precursor layer or layers extend at least partially into the fractured cell structure of the biocompatible substrate to form a cohesive hydrogel precursor structure, wherein upon wetting with physiological fluids or physiologically buffered saline, the cohesive hydrogel precursor structure crosslinks to form a cohesive hydrogel structure.

In additional aspects, the invention pertains to a method for using a flexible medical patch, the method comprising placing one or more flexible medical patches on or in a target bleeding site, wherein the flexible medical patch comprises a biocompatible substrate and a hydrogel precursor that presents a surface along one side of the biocompatible substrate. The hydrogel precursor comprises an electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and a nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor as a blend and/or in multiple stacked regions that directly contact each other, and the biocompatible substrate has a fractured cell structure. Generally, the hydrogel precursor is initially dry and substantially uncrosslinked and extends at least partially into the fractured cell structure of the biocompatible substate to form a cohesive hydrogel precursor structure, wherein the medical patch hemostatically adheres to the target bleeding site.

In additional aspects, the invention pertains to a method for forming a medical patch, the method comprising applying a liquid hydrogel precursor onto a porous hydrophilic substrate in a dry atmosphere, wherein applying is performed with a print head compressing the substrate at the print location to inject the liquid hydrogel precursor into the compressed substrate. The liquid hydrogel precursor comprises an electrophilic hydrogel precursor and a protected nucleophilic hydrogel precursor, wherein the protected nucleophilic hydrogel precursor comprises an acidified amine, wherein the liquid hydrogel precursor comprises a melt or a non-aqueous solution of the electrophilic hydrogel precursor and/or the protected nucleophilic hydrogel precursor.

In additional aspects, the invention pertains to a medical patch comprising a biocompatible substrate and a hydrogel precursor, the hydrogel precursor comprising a solid blend and/or separate solid layers of an electrophilic -hydrogel precursor having a plurality of electrophilic functional groups and a nucleophilic-hydrogel precursor having a plurality of nucleophilic functional groups, wherein both the electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and the nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor are substantially uncrosslinked. The biocompatible substrate comprises thermally crosslinked gelatin having a fractured cell structure, wherein the hydrogel precursor extends at least partially into the fractured cell structure of the biocompatible substrate to form a cohesive hydrogel precursor structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1A is a perspective view illustration of a hemostatic patch structure.

Fig. IB is a perspective view illustration of a layered hemostatic patch structure.

Fig. 1C is a perspective view illustration of a hemostatic patch structure having a compressed substrate.

Fig. ID is a perspective view illustration of a hemostatic patch structure having a compressed substrate and cohesive hydrogel precursor network with a shattered surface.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an apparatus for spray coating of a blended precursor composition onto a substrate to make a hemostatic patch.

Fig. 3A is a side-view of an apparatus for slot-die coating of a blended precursor composition onto a substrate to make a hemostatic patch.

Fig. 3B is a side-view of an apparatus for slot-die coating similar to the apparatus in Fig. 3A with an adjustment of the coating head to press into the substrate during coating.

Fig. 4A is a side-view of an apparatus for continuous roll slot-die coating of a blended precursor composition onto a substrate to make a hemostatic patch.

Fig. 4B is a flow chart for a two-step compression process according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 4C is a side-view of a process flow for making a flexible hemostatic patch product from a gelatin sheet and a hydrogel precursor composition.

Fig. 4D is a side-view of a gap between calender rollers.

Fig. 5 is an illustration of a hemostatic patch wrapped around a tubular organ.

Fig. 6 is an illustration of a hemostatic patch placed on a non-tubular organ.

Fig. 7 is an illustration of a hemostatic patch placed on skin.

Fig. 8A is a cross-section view depiction of a bleeding defect of a tissue.

Fig. 8B is a cross-section view depiction of a hemostatic patch after placement on the bleeding defect of Fig. 8A.

Fig. 8C is a cross-section view depiction of the hemostatic patch of Fig. 8B adhered to the bleeding defect.

Fig. 8D is a cross-section view depiction of the healed tissue after absorption of the hemostatic patch.

Fig. 9 is an illustration of the Adam’s Scale for defect bleeding scoring.

Fig. 10A is a photograph of an initial placement of a patch into a channel defect.

Fig. 1 OB is a photograph at 1 minute after the placement shown in Fig. 10A.

Fig. 11 is a plot of force versus time for a representative patch sample evaluated with a commercial texture analyzer.

Fig. 12A is an illustration of a conical shaped hemostatic patch placed into the cervix using a cone shaped mandrel.

Fig. 12B is an illustration of the conical shaped hemostatic patch placed in the cervix, with the left inset illustrating the cone shaped mandrel pressing the patch into the cervix and the right inset illustrating the cone shaped mandrel having been removed and the cone shaped patch retained in the cervix. In the left inset, only the cone shaped end of the mandrel is depicted, with the handle of the cone shaped mandrel not shown.

Fig. 13A is a perspective view of an accordion-folded flexible hemostatic patch.

Fig. 13B is an illustration of an accordion-folded flexible hemostatic patch being introduced into a cannula using forceps.

Fig. 13C is an illustration of an accordion and widthwise-folded flexible hemostatic patch.

Fig. 13D is an illustration of an accordion and widthwise-folded flexible hemostatic patch being introduced into a cannula using forceps.

Fig. 14 is an illustration of an accordion-folded flexible hemostatic patch being introduced into a laparoscopic surgical site using forceps. Fig. 15A is an SEM image of a crosslinked gelatin substrate.

Fig. 15B is an SEM image of the crosslinked gelatin substrate of Fig. 15A after calendering

Fig. 15C is an SEM image of a crosslinked gelatin substrate.

Fig. 15D is an SEM image of the crosslinked gelatin substrate of Fig. 15C after calendering.

Fig. 16A is an SEM image of the surface of a precursor-coated gelatin substrate.

Fig. 16B is an SEM image of the surface of a precursor-coated gelatin substrate after compression with calender rollers set to a 5 mm gap.

Fig. 16C is an SEM image of the surface of a precursor-coated gelatin substrate after compression with calender rollers set to a 2 mm gap.

Fig. 16D is an SEM image of the surface of a precursor-coated gelatin substrate after a first compression with calender rollers set to a 5 mm gap and a second compression with calender rollers set to a 2 mm gap.

Fig. 17A is an SEM image of a cross-section of a precursor-coated gelatin substrate.

Fig. 17B is an SEM image of a cross-section of the precursor-coated gelatin substrate of Fig. 17 A after calendering.

Fig. 18A is a first photo of a precursor-coated substrate in which the substrate was not compressed prior to coating.

Fig. 18B is a second photo of a precursor-coated substrate in which the substrate was not compressed prior to coating.

Fig. 18C is a photo of a precursor-coated substrate in which the substrate was calendered prior to coating.

Fig. 19 is a plot of average fluid absorption as a function of time for uncompressed substrates and compressed substrates.

DETAIEED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Medical patches are formed having a dried layer of hydrogel precursors on a substrate, as a blend or as adjacent sublayers in direct contact, in which upon hydration with biological fluids results in the spontaneous crosslinking to form a hydrogel that can adhere to tissue. Generally, the hydrogel precursors do not need to react with blood or the tissue since any physiological fluid can activate the crosslinking involving reaction of equal or near equal amounts of nucleophilic functional groups and electrophilic functional groups. Processing to form the layer of hydrogel precursors generally is selected to avoid substantial crosslinking during processing through protection of the nucleophilic group and avoiding moisture even though the reactive species are in contact. Processing can comprise forming a dehydrated melt blend of the precursors that can then be coated or cast to form the layer or by coating a nonaqueous solution of the blend and removing the solvent. The substrate supporting the dried hydrogel can be selected to be absorbent so that the substrate further assists with a hemostatic function of the patch. Furthermore, processing of the patch and deposition of the hydrogel precursors can be designed to achieve a flexible patch with good adhesion of the hydrogel precursor material to the substrate and good cohesion of the hydrogel precursor material which presents a surface for adhering to the wound in the completed patch. Through the use of flexible and biodegradable substrates, placement of the patch at hard to reach locations and/or on unusually shaped wounds can be achieved. The contact with the tissue during the crosslinking process can facilitate the formation of a desired adhesive bond whether or not any covalent bonding occurs with the tissue, and whether or not any blood is present. With selected components, the patches are foldable without fragmenting such that they can be delivered in laparoscopic procedures through a trocar and/or folded for insertion into a wound rather than over a wound. Increased flexibility of the patch is achieved with appropriate selection of the substrate, and desirable patches can comprise compressed gelatin sponges with appropriately integrated precursor layer penetrating into the compressed sponge. The surprisingly good adhesion of the hydrogel precursor layer to surfaces provides for bonding along margins of the patch without a need for direct contact with blood or the wound. The results found with these patches indicate significant utility of the material also as a filler for a wound or the like, which can be formed from a shredded patch or an equivalently formed material where the components are separately shredded, pulverized or otherwise fragmented.

Gelatin substrates can provide desirable absorption of fluids as well as biodegradation in appropriate time frames. In particular foamed gelatin meets these properties, although other porous gelatin forms can have similar properties, such as fused fibrous gelatin. It has been found though that a higher degree of flexibility is desired than is directly available for these materials. Compression of the substrate, such as with calendering, before and/or after deposition of the precursor material can be desirable to impart a significantly higher degree of flexibility. In the context of the use of porous gelatin substrates, the precursor material is coated onto a surface of the substrate, as a blend of precursors and/or as separate precursors, to provide a blend layer and/or separate adjacent layers of the electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and the nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor. It is desirable for the coated substrate to be both flexible and also mechanically robust, in terms of cohesive strength of the blend layer and/or separate adjacent layers and adhesive strength with respect to the substrate, so that the precursor does not delaminate or flake off from the dry patch. It has been discovered that injecting a hydrogel precursor, as a melt(s) or non-aqueous solution(s), onto the substrate under a slight compression results in improved adhesion of the hydrogel precursor to the porous substrate while maintaining good cohesion of the hydrogel precursor. While elasticity of the substrate can result in restoring of the substrate thickness following of the deposition of the hydrogel precursor, the deposition of the hydrogel precursor with good penetration into the substrate provides for good adhesion of the hydrogel precursor to the substrate, while still presenting a surface of hydrogel precursor over most or all of the surface to establish adherence of the patch to a tissue surface during use. After deposition of the hydrogel precursor, the structure can be compressed, such as by calendering, to further improve the flexibility of the patch, which can shatter the surface of the precursor. The resulting patch structure can have desired flexibility, while maintaining good cohesion and adhesion of the hydrogel precursor so that delamination or flaking off of the hydrogel precursor can be avoided. The hydrogel precursor has some features of a surface layer, but the hydrogel precursor also penetrates at least partially into the substrate and thus has some features of an integrated structure. The cohesive hydrogel precursor structure may be adhered to the substrate via a diffuse boundary between the hydrogel precursor and the substrate. Whiskers of gelatin from the substrate may penetrate into the hydrogel precursor presenting along the surface of the substrate, since the substrate surface is not microscopically smooth, and the hydrogel precursor may penetrate into and embed portions of the substrate to form a diffuse boundary between the hydrogel precursor and the substrate within the cohesive hydrogel precursor structure. In various contexts, the hydrogel precursor may be alternatively described as a layer(s) or coating or as a cohesive hydrogel precursor structure (or cohesive hydrogel precursor network) presenting a surface of hydrogel precursor. While a clear boundary may not separate the substrate and the hydrogel precursor, the hydrogel precursor nevertheless still presents a surface along the substrate that enables adherence of the patch to wet tissue as the hydrogel precursor hydrates.

The dry layer of hydrogel precursors, such as a blend, generally comprises a first hydrogel precursor with a plurality of electrophilic functional groups and a second hydrogel precursor having a plurality of protonated amine groups, generally primary amines. In particular, the nucleophilic amines can be protonated to form a cationic ammonium group, which protects the amine from nucleophilic reaction until it is deprotonated. A halide, such as chloride, or other strong acid conjugate anion can be the counter ion. The electrophilic functional groups and the nucleophilic functional groups can react to form covalent crosslinks once the blend is hydrated and the ammonium group is deprotonated due to dilution of the acid upon hydration. Thus, in the patch product, the hydrogel precursors are substantially uncrosslinked, which is described further below. In some embodiments, the patches or portions thereof can be degradable. The precursors can be applied as layers that are distinct or as a preblended melt. In the event a melt is chosen, it is advantageous to use a melting point for the blended precursors such that it remains a solid at room temperature, so as to provide maximum storage stability. Precursor blends can comprise components that are liquid at room temperature but the blend has a melting point above room temperature. In principle, precursor blends can be viscous liquids at room temperature, but the resulting patches then may require refrigerated storage to ensure storage stability. The patches can be used for implantable applications or for exposed or cutaneous tissue healing. Substrates can be selected accordingly. The patches can be effective for hemostasis applications. For hemostasis applications, an absorbent substrate is highly desirable. Absorbent substrates can be formed from natural materials, such as collagen, gelatin, cellulose or the other similar biopolymers, or from synthetic hydrogels, such as polymers comprising poly(ethylene glycol), poly(vinyl alcohol), or other water soluble or water swellable synthetic polymers, or combinations with biopolymers. Substrates that are flexible and provide good drapability generally provide desirable patch properties, or substrates that are rapidly softened to become drapable upon encountering moisture can also provide desirable properties for many applications.

In some embodiments, the precursor layer has no added buffers, and results clearly demonstrate rapid and good gelation without any buffer. Some appropriately selected buffer can be present without disrupting the function of the precursor layer, in this case, inorganic buffers can be desirable since they can remain in a separate phase until such time as activated with physiological fluids. Carbon dioxide from air or as present in a laparoscopic environment can dissolve into water to form carbonic acid, which can provide low amounts of buffer capacity. Carbonic acid evaporates as carbon dioxide rather than concentrating as water is removed. Inappropriately selected buffer can be undesirable either due to causing undesired premature crosslinking of the precursors prior to use or to slowing of the crosslinking after application to a tissue. While the water is removed from the patch during processing, trace amount of water may still result in some crosslinking if a higher pH buffer were present, and a more acidic buffer can slow crosslinking upon contact with a physiological solution, which generally have a mildly basic pH. Based on experience though with these polymer systems generally, phosphate buffer and perhaps other neutral to mildly acidic buffers can be used with moderate slowing of gelation. Evidence suggests that patches with no buffer can provide desirable performance with appropriate storage stability. Patches without significant added buffer or with acceptable levels of buffer can be perhaps more easily described in terms of the patch function, such as storage stability and speed to gel, which are described in detail below. If buffers are included, they can be placed, for example, as a powder on the substrate with the hydrogel precursor layer over them or blended into the hydrogel precursor layer if they are compatible with the non-aqueous formats of the precursor layer.

Various suitable substrates are described below. Particularly effective patch properties have been found with gelatin based sponge patches. Improved flexibility can be obtained with these sponges as substrates if the sponges are compressed to fracture the cell structure of the sponge. While compression of the gelatin cell structure reduces the mechanical strength of the substrate, the substrate becomes correspondingly significantly more flexible, while maintaining sufficient mechanical stability for application of a hydrogel precursor layer onto the substrate and for application of the patch. While various processing protocols can be used effectively, particularly desirable results follow from a two-step compression process. The hydrogel precursor layer can be added after a first compression and before a subsequent compression. The hydrogel precursor penetrates into the fractured cell structure of the sponge to stabilize the patch, and the hydrogel precursor layer fractures during the further compression, which not only improves flexibility of the coated substrate, but also facilitates and speeds hydration of the precursor layer to speed adhesive effect.

As described in more detail below and clearly exemplified, the patch has very good adhesion to wet tissue. Effective manufacturing approaches are described. The hydrogels are designed to have roughly equal amounts of electrophilic functional groups and nucleophilic functional groups so that full crosslinking can occur and is expected to occur between the hydrogel precursors without any precursors necessarily bonding to functional groups in blood or tissue. The strong adhesion of the patch with a lack of covalent bonds to blood or tissue is a surprising result based on teachings in the art. This improved design provides for excellent performance including, for example, strong adhesion and rapid gelation, while maintaining a good shelf-life. If it is desired to speed gel times, a buffer/accelerator solution can be applied, such as through the backing, shortly after to the patch is applied to the tissue to further speed the gelation process. While in principle, buffer/accelerator solutions can be added to the patch immediately prior to application to the tissue, this approach can result in gelling too rapidly such that good adhesion is not obtained.

The patches are particularly well suited to sealing of leaks or bleeding that is active. Such sealing is usually not possible with liquid precursors only when delivered as a sprayed on sealant due to the precursors being displaced by the active fluid egress. In the case of patch based sealants that are the subject of this invention, manual compression applied as part of the patch application, can temporarily control the active fluid egress and allow the sealant to activate and adhere to the tissue surface, thus forming an effective seal.

For some wounds, such as those that may have a cavity and not bleeding too severely, insertion of shredded patch material can be effective to stabilize the wound with the material crosslinking in place. Medical practitioners can shred a patch themselves for use, or a shredded patch material can be distributed in that form. To make a shredded patch composition, the patch does not need to be fully formed to produce a similar material. The substrate, such as a gelatin substrate, can be shredded, and the precursor blend can be formed and pulverized/reduced to fine particles. For example, a melt blend or solution can be spray dried/cooled to directly form a particulate type material that can be further milled or sifted, if desired. The separately shredded/pulverized materials can then be mixed for distribution and use. While forming a blend of the precursors for pulverizing can be desirable for rapid gelation/cros slinking, separate powders of the precursors can be blended as an alternative. The relative amounts of the components can follow the ranges as described for the patch, although slightly altered amounts may be selected for commercialization for these embodiments depending on clinical experiences.

A granular composition that is a blend of a porous hydrophilic material and hydrogel precursors can be prepared from a shredded patch, with the porous hydrophilic material being the substrate of the patch and the hydrogel precursors being the dry layer of hydrogel precursors on the substrate. The blend may be homogenous or non-homogenous. In some embodiments, the granular composition is a blend in which the porous hydrophilic material is sourced separately from the hydrogel precursors. For example, the porous hydrophilic material can be an uncoated substrate that has been shredded or a porous hydrophilic material that is provided in particulate form, such as gelatin microparticles or gelatin powder. In some embodiments, the porous hydrophilic material may be a foam, a non-woven tufted material, or a non-woven felted material. Two or more porous hydrophilic materials may be used together. Examples of distinct hydrophilic porous materials include, for example, substrates of the same material but with different porosity, pore size, and/or particulate size or substrates of different compositions. The hydrogel precursors can be provided as a blend of the electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and the nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor in the same granules, or as distinct granules of the electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and distinct granules of the nucleophilic-hydrogel precursor, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the weight ratio of the shredded substrate/porous hydrophilic material in the shredded patch composition can be from about 5 weight percent (wt%) to about 75 wt%, in some embodiments from about 7 wt% to about 50wt%, and in further embodiments from about 10 wt% to about35wt%. In other embodiments, the weight ratio of the shredded substrate can be less than 25%, less than 10%. In other embodiments, a granular composition of the precursors can be used without any shredded substrate such that the shredded patch weight ratio is 0 wt%. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of porous hydrophilic material composition within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

The granular composition can have granules which are composed of any combination of the porous hydrophilic material and the hydrogel precursors. Granules of different compositions can have different average granule diameters from each other. In one embodiment, the porous hydrophilic material and the hydrogel precursors form composites within granules. In another embodiment, the porous hydrophilic material and the electrophilic- hydrogel precursor form composites within granules and the nucleophilic-hydrogel precursor is in separate/distinct granules. In another embodiment, the porous hydrophilic material and the nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor form composites within granules and the electrophilic- hydrogel precursor is in separate/distinct granules. In another embodiment, the porous hydrophilic material is in granules and a composite of the hydrogel precursors are in separate/distinct granules. In another embodiment, the porous hydrophilic material, the electrophilic-hydrogel precursor, and the nucleophilic-hydrogel precursor are in separate/distinct granules. The granular composition may be provided as granules of the porous hydrophilic material which are coated or at least partially coated with one or both of the electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and the nucleophilic-hydrogel precursor. Coating of the precursor or precursors may be done by spraying of a melt or solution of the precursor or precursors. Multiple layers of coating may be applied, such as a layer of one precursor over a layer of a different precursor.

The granular compositions may have granules in a form ranging from a powder, to small particles, to course pieces, such as obtained by shredding of a substrate or patch. Small particles can have an average diameter from about 0.001 mm to about 5 mm or from about 0.01 mm to about 3.5 mm. The granules may or may not be approximately spherical and may be any reasonable shape. The granular compositions may further comprise a visualization agent and/or a therapeutic agent, as described for the patch. The granular compositions may be placed on or in a bleeding defect and pressure may be optionally applied. The bleeding defect may be partially or fully filled or thinly coated with the granular composition. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of average diameters within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. If a patch is shredded by a medical practitioner for use, the resulting patch fragments generally can have considerable variation in sizes and shapes according to the desires of the practitioner.

Due to the ability to have well mixed precursors, rapid gel formation is possible even though the amines are initially protected. Crosslinking is initiated as soon as the acid protected groups are neutralized upon dilution by physiological solutions. Physiological solutions are generally slightly basic with physiological pH, e.g., blood plasma, ranging from 7.32 to 7.42 pH units. For the PEG-NH2 groups, the -NH3 ⁺ moieties should deprotonate to form the nucleophilic active forms even at neutral water pH values. Therefore, with proper hydration, the patches can gel in less than one minute, and the Examples demonstrate fast gelation. Due to the chemistry used, the patches generally adhere to any moist tissue surface with physiological solutions, and direct blood and/or wound contact is not needed, although can be present. The patches are designed for quick and predictable efficacy that can significantly help for performance of an efficient medical procedure.

The precursor compositions can be selected each to form a heat flowable composition without decomposing that can be blended as liquids. The heat flowable composition or the blend of two or more heat flowable compositions may be a neat melt or a neat melt blend, respectively, with "neat" referring to a liquid phase composition having no added solvent. The melt blend can then be coated onto the substrate and cooled to form the patch. In particular, precursors with polyethylene glycol cores generally form flowable liquids at relative low temperatures. Slot coating, extrusion, screen printing or other appropriate coating processes can be used to form the coated substrates. In some embodiments, the precursors can be soluble in some organic solvents in which the precursors are appropriately stable, such as aprotic polar solvents. A solution of the mixed precursors can be coated onto the substrate, such as spray coated, and the dried to remove the solvent. In alternative embodiments, the precursors can be processed using nonaqueous solvent solutions in which the solvents are selected to avoid deprotonating the acidified amine groups. The precursor solutions can be deposited using similar techniques as the precursor melts.

Medical patches can find significant value in closing wounds either within a patient as part of a procedure, or along the skin for wound healing or procedure closing, or other various uses. The present patches provide a significant advantage of activation by any physiological fluid such that contact with blood or tissue is not explicitly needed. Thus, even if part of the patch contacts directly blood or tissue, all of the patch can form an effective seal, even along the edges that may not directly contact blood or tissue. For example, an absorbent substrate can absorb physiological fluids and wet parts of the patch with physiological fluids along the entire patch surface. And direct contact with blood or tissue is not required for any part of the patch to adhere if there is appropriate moisture, so, for example, lymph fluids can effectively activate the patches, through direct contract or transfer from the substrate. The patches can be used for human or veterinary medical purposes. The patches as prepared can be free of blood components and human components.

The patch generally can have a substrate layer and a hydrogel precursor layer on the substrate layer, in which the precursor layer can be a blend of precursors and/or sublayers of the same and/or differing compositions. The substrate layer can be homogenous or it can be structured with multiple layers and/or structured layers. Generally, the substrate layer is dry when the patch is formed, and formed from a biodegradable material, although for certain applications, it can be desirable to use a non-degradable substrate. The substrate can be very absorbent of liquids, which can assist with management of blood and other fluids while the hydrogel is sealing the wound. The patches generally have sufficient thickness to provide desired mechanical integrity, but not excessively thick, and patches with appropriate thickness can provide for desired crosslinking and hydration in a desirable period of time as well as degrading in an appropriate time and not being excessively bulky.

The precursors can be selected to be processable using heat to form flowable states at appropriate temperatures. For embodiments in which the precursors are blended in a flowing state during processing, the formation of the melt blend should be thermally stable for each of the precursors. The processing can be carried out in a low moisture environment so that the hydroscopic materials do not absorb undesirable moisture from the air. Generally, the flow properties of the heated precursor compositions are strongly influenced by a polymer core from which the functional groups are pendent. In particular, polyethylene glycol based precursors have an advantage of relatively low flow temperatures and acceptance for approved implantable medical products, although other hydrophilic precursor cores can be used.

In some embodiments, the precursors can be blended in an organic solution if the precursors are soluble in appropriate organic solvents that do not induce crosslinking. Various solution coating techniques may be suitable for forming the precursor coating with the solution blends. After forming the coating, the organic solvent can be removed by evaporation to form a dry coating. After drying the patch can be packaged similarly to the cooled melt formed patches in water resistant pouch or the like. To obtain desired shelf-life, appropriate handling and processing properties, and setting up upon application, the amine precursors are provided as acid salt/conjugates and the blended precursors can be free of buffers or only have appropriately selected buffers that do not slow gelling excessively or destabilize storage of the patches. The presence of basic pH buffers would tend to amplify instabilities to crosslinking during processing by potentially removing protons from the amine. While water is kept away during synthesis, with all of the hydrophilic components, it is not possible to get extremely low levels of water. On the other hand, the amines are selected to deprotonate readily upon contact with physiological fluids so that buffers are not needed to achieve rapid gelation.

Other hemostatic hydrogel patches are known. For example, fibrin based patches are available on the market. TACHOSIL® is a fibrin based patch from Baxter. Similar powders and syringe deliverable matrices based on Fibrin or other blood based components are also available. Another approach for patches involves partially crosslinking the hydrogel in the patch to leave unreacted electrophilic groups. The partial crosslinking provides for solution processing to make the hydrogel precursor layer of the patch with the precursors intentionally having a functional group ratio (deficient in nucleophiles) resulting in significant numbers of unreacted electrophilic groups. The unreacted electrophilic groups are intended to react with nucleophilic groups in blood or tissue at the wound site, such as naturally present amines. This approach has the disadvantage that the patch only adheres to tissue or blood so that edges of the patch away from direct wound interaction, as well as placement where direct contact with blood or tissue may not take place, can result in partial patch adhesion and/or poor patch adhesion. Hydrogels based on this approach have been described using polyoxazoline copolymers as the core of the functionalized precursors. See, published U.S. patent application 2019/0231923 to Hoogenboom et al., entitled "Cross-Linked Polymers and Implants Derived From Electrophilically Activated Polyoxazoline," incorporated herein by reference. These polyoxazoline based crosslinked polymers are described as adhesives and not explicitly described as hydrogels. In contrast, the hydrogels described herein result from all or essentially all of their crosslinking taking place after application and do not rely on reaction with tissue or blood or other nucleophiles supplied by the patent for crosslinking, although some reaction of the present precursors with blood or tissue could take place. Even though the hydrogel precursors for the instant patches effectively only react with themselves, they achieve excellent adhesion.

A polyethylene glycol-based (PEG based) hemostatic patch is sold under the tradename Veriset™ (Medtronic). It is believed that Veriset™ involves technology described in published U.S. patent application 2010/0100123A to Bennett (the '123 application), entitled "Hemostatic Implant," incorporated herein by reference. These patches involve separated precursor components. In contrast, the approach herein involves blended or strongly contacting hydrogel precursor components that can quickly form a highly crosslinked homogenous hydrogel in contact with the patient. As a result of the mixing or intimate contact of the uncrosslinked precursors, the hydrogels can gel quickly to form a homogenous hydrogel with good mechanical stability, good adhesion and predictable properties. Another hemostatic patch is sold with a PEG-based NHS hydrogel precursor under the name HEMOPATCH™ by Baxter International, Inc. (IL, USA). The precursor coating in the HEMOPATCH is intended to crosslink to amines in the tissue and blood.

Generally, Applicant's patches herein comprise a substrate and a hydrogel precursor layer. The crosslinking of the hydrogel precursor layer after placement on a tissue site serves to adhere the patch to the site. The substrate is generally adhered to the precursor layer and can serve to facilitate the hydration and stabilization of the patch in use, especially in hemostatic contexts. To these ends, the substrate generally is highly absorbent and porous, while maintaining mechanical integrity. In this way, the substrate can absorb fluids, such as blood, to help stabilize the site of the patch and to help hydrate the hydrogel to drive the crosslinking, while not being too porous such that blood passing through the substrate makes the surface of the substrate adhering, such as to gauze or a surgeon’s glove. The substrate absorption can be evaluated based on the swelling, and the substrate can form a hydrogel, but a hydrogel that does not exhibit further crosslinking upon hydration. The porosity of the substrate generally allows some penetration of the hydrogel precursor into the adjoining substrate surface.

In the hydrogel precursor layers for the present patches, the two precursors for crosslinking can be mixed in a dehydrated state or formed as sublayers within the precursor layer. Amine groups are in a protonated acidic state. The precursor layer can be effectively free of buffer to support relatively more rapid crosslinking upon hydration with physiological fluids. The precursor layer is stable under dry storage for appropriate periods of time for product distribution with a commercially appropriate shelf-life. Of course, precursors can comprise trace amounts of anion contaminants, but appropriately pure precursors should eliminate any quality concerns. One or more amine terminated precursors may be used and one or more precursors reactive to nucleophilic end groups could also be used in forming patches that are described herein. The crosslinking reactions involve nucleophilic amines reacting with an appropriate group to undergo an addition reaction. The addition reactions generally proceed at reasonable rates at higher pH values, generally pH 7 or higher. Without the use of an activation solution, the deprotonation of the amines can take place relatively quickly upon hydration with physiological solutions, which then allows for the crosslinking reactions to take place in a short period of time (eg. <3 min). Results in the Examples confirm the rapid gelation. Since the precursors are mixed or in intimate contact in the dry patch, the reactive crosslinking groups for can be nearby without large movement of macromolecular precursor molecules involved in the crosslinking. As described and exemplified below, the initially uncrosslinked precursors can gel quickly to induce adhesive forces of the patch. Generally, the use of a high pH buffer is not needed to induce gelation at appropriate rate, and such high pH buffers, such as a borate buffer, can contribute to shortened storage times. A low pH buffer, such as a phosphate based buffer, generally will lengthen gel times, but in appropriate amounts these may not slow gelation by an unacceptable amount. A low pH buffer may not adversely alter storage times. If so desired, to speed up reaction time, additional external higher pH buffers may be administered to the patch after placed on the patient for select applications, but is not required.

The substrate for supporting the hydrogel precursors can be absorbent, which can provide several advantages. First, it can absorb fluids, such as blood, lymph and the like, so that the health care professional can be assisted with the management of the wound while applying the patch. Also, the absorption of the physiological fluid by an absorbent substrate can help to hydrate the hydrogel precursors. So an absorbent substrate can speed the gel times, which can be less than a minute. The substrates generally biodegrade, although in some embodiments, the substrates can be non-degradable over relevant time scales, such as some applications involving external application of the patch. In cases where external use of the patch is envisioned, the backing substrate may not be biodegradable, and the patch can either be removed upon completion of healing or the hydrogel formed by the precursors in contact with tissue could be absorbable so as to release the patch substrate after a few days. In select cases it may be advantageous to deliver the hydrogel by itself and in such cases a non-porous backing substrate can be used, such that it can release the hydrogel on to the wet tissue without adhering to the hydrogel itself. In such applications substrates made from polymeric substrates that exhibit low adherence to the hydrogel precursors, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, polyethylene, poly urethane, and the like, can be useful. Release layers for adhesive bandages and the like may be adapted for this use. For most hemostatic applications of a patch, it is desirable for the substrate to be biodegradable into nontoxic breakdown products within a reasonable period of time to be cleared from the patient. The substrate can be desirably absorbent of bodily fluids and interfacing with a penetrating precursor layer. While various natural and artificial materials, generally polymers, can provide these features, it has been found that a gelatin sponge material performs particularly well in the patch structure. To achieve a desired level of flexibility, the gelatin sponge can be compressed to fracture the gelatin cell structure, and the precursor layer can penetrate into the fractured cell structure to form an integral and stable structure with desirable absorbing properties.

Gelatin is a hydrolysis product of collagen, a major component of the extracellular matrix in animals. Collagen is generally harvested from various livestock. Collagen is an insoluble fibrous protein in its native form. The hydrolysis breaks the protein polymer strands into smaller units such that the resulting gelatin can be processed. The precise nature of gelatin can depend on the processing. But generally, the gelatin is soluble in hot water and some other polar solvents. To revert the gelatin to be insoluble, the gelatin can be crosslinked to control the specific properties. To avoid the use of toxic chemicals for crosslinking, sufficient crosslinking can be achieved with heat. To form the absorbent substrate, the gelatin is formed into a sponge with a cell type structure. The foamed gelatin cell structure can be formed without crosslinking.

The formation of a gelatin sponge is known, which are then generally stabilized with chemical crosslinking. See, for example, published U.S. patent application 2007/0077274 to Ahlers (the '274 application), entitled "Method for Producing Shaped Bodies Based on Crosslinked Gelatin," incorporated herein by reference. The '274 patent refers to previous crosslinked gelatin products that have insufficient persistence for certain applications. The crosslinked gelatin is formed with a pore forming agent, such as air to provide for the sponge structure with pores. The products in the '274 patent are still biodegradable. Gelatin sponges are commercially available for use as hemostatic materials. For example, gelatin sponges are available from Gelita AG (Germany, applicant of the '274 patent) and Ethicon (U.S.). Uncrosslinked gelatin sponges can be obtained. Gelita and Ethicon sell gelatin sponges as hemostatic patches, Surgi-Foam® (Ethicon) and Gelita-Spon® (Gelita).

While for longer persistence, chemical crosslinking can be desirable, chemical crosslinking can involve the use of toxic chemicals or other moieties that may be undesirable with respect to biodegradation of the material and can result in a material that is too persistent. Chemical crosslinking may also change the mechanical properties of the substrate to make it more brittle. On the other hand, completely uncrosslinked gelatin may break down too quickly prior to reaching hemostasis and thereby resulting in the loss of absorbency with respect to bodily fluids. Thermal crosslinking can achieve desired balance of properties without introduction of chemicals that can complicate biocompatibility. As noted in the '274 patent, thermal crosslinking of gelatin can result in dehydration that can form crosslinking bonds. Thermal crosslinking is described further below.

Previous work has suggested that compression of gelatin sponges can increase flexibility. The '274 application discusses "mechanical action", including passing through rollers, to increase crosslinked gelatin sponge flexibility. They suggest an increase in density of a factor of 2 to 10, but the mechanical properties of the material following mechanical action are not described except that the reference suggests, without presenting data, dissolution over time is not affected. The use of compressed gelatin substrates with hydrogel precursors is described in published U.S. patent application 2021/0213157 to DeAnglis et al. (the '157 application), entitled "Flexible Gelatin Sealant Dressing With Reactive Components," incorporated herein by reference. The '157 application talks about compression of the gelatin preferably after crosslinking. Correspondingly, the '157 application mentions that the compressed gelatin sponge has a greater strength due to a higher crosslink density as a result of amine groups of the proteins being physically in closer proximity, although the '157 application suggests that crosslinking is optional. The '157 application does not seem to suggest thermal crosslinking possibility.

The '157 application refers to a previous published U.S. patent application that teaches association of hydrogel precursors with an absorbent substrate, see 2011/0045047 to Bennett et al., entitled "Hemostatic Implant," incorporated herein by reference, which seems to be follow up work from the '123 application cited above. The '157 application notes undesirable aspects of the earlier work and is directed to an alternative using powders of dry precursors deposited on the porous substrate.

The '157 application exemplifies use of commercial substrate material, specifically SURGIFOAM® product codes 1974 and 1975, which is asserted to be compressed, and SPONGOSTAN® gelatin film. The '157 application does not describe the detailed properties of these substrates, and there is no specific further processing performed prior to application of the hydrogel precursors. As noted above, the precursors are added as a fine dry powder, which is a blend of 4-arm PEG-SG (succinimidyl glutarate) (MW 4000 Da), 4-arm PEG-amine (MW=3,000 Da), and sodium bicarbonate powder. The powders are applied in a suspension with an organic solvent that is then allowed to evaporate off. The powder precursors lack the advantages of the solid precursor layer described herein.

It is believed that commercial gelatin sponges for hemostatic purposes are generally chemically crosslinked, for example, with an aldehyde, such as formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde, to stabilize the structure for reasonable persistence time in contact with biological fluids. As noted above, the '157 application uses commercial substrates from Ethicon, Inc. without details on the production or specific properties of the substrates other than dimensions. As described herein, processing involves a coating process to form a continuous layer of precursor that is designed to be stable and uncrosslinked until activated with bodily fluids or water. The precursor layer then exhibits a synergistic relationship with the substrate in which the precursor layer can stabilize the substrate and penetration of the hydrogel precursor into the substrate can stabilize the hydrogel precursor against delamination or flaking off.

In Applicant's processing, a compression of the patch structure is performed after the application of the hydrogel precursor layer. This compression step generally fractures or shatters the as-formed precursor layer with the formation of microfractures and/or cracks and the like across the surface. The microfractures and/or cracks are consistent with the increased flexibility of the resulting patch. The hydrated patch becomes adhesive to the tissue whether or not in direct contact with the wound along portions of the patch. The gelatin sponge can comprise additives, such as plasticizers and perhaps other agents, and improvements in the patch mechanical properties are believed to be greater if the patch material is not too elastic so that the compression results in a greater thickness reduction with less spring back following compression. The cell structure of the gelatin sponge then is fractured, which can further facilitate hydration and improve flexibility. The gelatin patch can also be compressed prior to application of the precursor layer in addition to compression after the placement of the precursor layer. The initial compression can facilitate penetration of the precursor layer into the gelatin while maintaining a surface of precursor layer.

To improve the adhesion of the hydrogel precursor to a porous gelatin substrate, it has been discovered that hydrogel precursor can be deposited onto the substrate in a state of gentle compression. A printhead can be adjusted to provide the desired deposition configuration. Porous gelatin substrates can be somewhat elastic, so the modest compression during hydrogel precursor layer may not result in a lasting change of the substrate thickness. Nevertheless, deposition onto the substrate under the force of compression seems to result in greater penetration of the hydrogel precursor into the substrate. The resulting patch structure exhibits a desired degree of hydrogel precursor adhesion and cohesion reducing or eliminating any flaking or delamination of the hydrogel precursor from the dry patch. The resulting hydrogel precursor structure presents a surface for application to a wound in which the surface is fully or at least significantly covered with the hydrogel precursor, even if shattered. The hydrogel precursor structure can be referred to as a layer(s) or with terminology that reflects its penetration into the substrate to form a cohesive hydrogel precursor or coating with a more complex structure, such as cohesive hydrogel precursor structure, cohesive hydrogel precursor network, or cohesive network, which are herein used interchangeably.

In principle, the compression of the gelatin sponge can be performed in various ways, such as placement of the patch between two plates that are tightened down onto the structure. A convenient way to apply the compression is to pass the patch through calender rollers. The spacing of the calender rollers can be set to achieve the desired compression. The use of rollers to do the compression is also convenient from a process flow approach and to apply shear to fracture the precursor layer. The rollers can be applied repeatedly to gradually achieve the desired compression. A first compression without the precursor layer can be performed at a larger roller spacing relative to a later passing through the rollers with the precursor layer.

With respect to the hydrogel precursor layer, the protected nucleophilic precursor generally has an acidified amine group. For example, the amines can be reacted with a strong acid, such as hydrochloric acid, and the chloride ion or other corresponding conjugate base can remain associated with the precursor. The acidification of the amines stabilizes the precursor layer by inhibiting the crosslinking reaction until the amine can deprotonate. Through this selection of the precursors, the resulting patch can be stable in dry storage for considerable period of time. The nucleophilic precursors generally have a plurality of functional groups and three or more groups can allow for a more highly crosslinked structure. The nucleophilic precursors can have a hydrophilic core, which can be highly branched with pendant amine groups. A low pH buffer may not destabilize the acidified amine group.

The electrophilic precursors have electrophilic groups that can undergo addition reactions with the amines to form covalent crosslinks. The electrophilic groups generally only react with amine groups and not with the protonated amine groups, ammonium acid conjugates. The electrophilic precursors have a plurality of functional groups, and with three or more functional groups can form a highly crosslinked hydrogel. The electrophilic groups are generally pendant off of a hydrophilic core, such as polyethylene glycol, that can be appropriately branched to form the desired degree of crosslinking. The electrophilic precursors and the protected nucleophilic precursors can be designed to have flow temperatures lower than the decomposition temperatures for either precursor. Thus, a melt blend can be formed with the two compounds. The melt blends can be formed as a good mixture. The melt blends can then be processed to form the patches. If the precursor layer comprises sublayers, these can be applied sequentially over each other. A sublayer can comprise a blend or one of the precursors. Generally, the processing can be performed under low humidity conditions to reduce any absorption of moisture from the ambient atmosphere. The melt blends can be directly formed into a coating for a patch, although the melt blend could in principle be solidified for later processing. For example, the melt blend can be slot coated onto a substrate, although other process techniques could be used, such as extruding, screen printing, spraying, or the like. Slot coating or other coating techniques can be performed on a sheet of substrate for efficient processing. After the coating solidifies, the coated sheet can be cut into desired patch sizes. Alternatively, the coating can be formed on pre-cut patch substrates. Appropriate packaging can be used for distributing the patches to remain in a dehydrated state.

In some embodiments, the precursors can be soluble in inert organic solvents. Suitable solvents can be aromatic liquids, such as toluene, xylene, dimethyl carbonate, or the like, or aprotic solvents. Generally, the solutions can be highly concentrated to reduce solvent use as long as the fluid properties allow for appropriate processing. Coating approaches for the solvent based deposition generally can be the same as for the melt blends, and concentrations can be adjusted as appropriate for a particular deposition approach.

The components of the patch tend to be hydrophilic and/or hydroscopic. Thus, the components after synthesizing or purchasing can be dried/desiccated prior to processing to form the patch. Some substrates can be lyophilized. It can be desirable to get hydration levels to no more than 5 weight percent or significantly lower in some embodiments. Processing can take place in a controlled atmosphere under dried air, nitrogen or the like, with application of heat and vacuum. Processing may include sweep techniques employing restricted streams of inert dry gas in combination with heat under partial vacuum to enhance drying. Conditions can be provided for reduction of moisture After forming the patch, it can be packaged under dried air into a moisture resistant package. The patch can be sterilized, for example, using ethylene oxide gas during packaging or with radiation after packaging. Sterilization can be under conditions that do not induce significant amounts of crosslinking.

The hydrogel patches described herein are particularly well suited for use as implantable hemostatic patches that can be absorbed after a reasonable period of time ranging from days to a month or longer. The hydrogel patches can be used to control bleeding or to seal a wound for open surgeries or laparoscopic procedures. The hydrogel patches can be used generally for any wound healing context, including superficial, rather than implanted, placement. The properties of fast sealing, good adherence and tunable absorption times provide desirable features for a range of applications.

Patch Structure and Hydrogel Precursors

The hydrogel precursor patches described herein generally comprise a substrate and a layer hydrogel precursors, as a blend or sublayers, on a surface of the substrate, although typically with some penetration into the substrate. The substrate can be selected to be suitable for a desired application of the patch. Generally, the substrate is absorbent, and the substrate can be absorbable in situ in a reasonable time period in contact the patient. The patch can be suitable for implantation in a patient, and for these embodiments, the substrate generally is absorbable. The precursors are generally substantially uncrosslinked and blended within a layer. The layer can be uniform over the substrate or variable. The precursors are selected to crosslink relatively quickly on exposure to physiological solutions or tissue. The patch can be suitable as a hemostatic patch that helps to control and limit bleeding.

In the patch prior to use, the hydrogel precursors in the layer on the substrate are not substantially crosslinked. Precise quantification may not be practical but clear significance of the concept and satisfaction of these conditions is very clear. First, the chemistry is designed so that crosslinking would not be expected due to protection of the amine groups by acid modification that serves to block nucleophilic reactions. Significant crosslinking results in the joining of the various precursor molecules into a network structure. At a certain degree of crosslinking, the material ceases to have independent precursor molecules and becomes essentially a cohesive mass of material linked together with covalent bonds. This process is evaluated in the context of gelation and the cohesive mass can be referred to as the resulting gel, which in this case is a hydrogel. As the degree of crosslinking of the hydrogel precursors increases beyond gelation and toward full crosslinking over additional time, there is a strengthening and firming of the gel. The gelation time (or gel time) can be measured, for example, as described below. Conversely, at intermediate times prior to gelation, the properties change as some crosslinking occurs, which changes the behavior of the composition. If the precursors are substantially uncrosslinked, the properties of the fully hydrated precursors are not significantly altered, and flow properties and rheology do not measurably change for the precursor composition relative to the as formed uncrosslinked composition, although these properties can change quickly once crosslinking is allowed to begin.

Fig. 1A illustrates the structure of one embodiment of a hemostatic patch. Hemostatic patch 100 has substrate 102 and precursor layer 104. Substrate 102 may be a gelatin substrate or other suitable substrate as described below. For example, substrate 102 may be a gelatin substrate without added blood components such as fibrinogen or thrombin or platelets. In some embodiments, substrate 102 is porous and absorbent. In additional or alternative embodiments, substrate 102 is biodegradable. Generally, the substrate is relatively thin, such as no more than a centimeter in average thickness, and the area of the patch can be selected as appropriate for the particular application.

Precursor layer 104 can be a blend of an electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and a nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor. Alternatively or additionally, precursor layer 104 can be structured as sublayers of an electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and a nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor, which may or may not comprise blends but generally with an interface of electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor along the sublayers. In some embodiments, the sublayers applied to the substrate as a liquid form a single homogeneous layer on the substrate after cooling and/or drying. In other embodiments, the sublayers form a continuous layer which has a composition gradient. Fig. IB illustrates an alternative structure of a hemostatic patch. Hemostatic patch 150 has substrate 152 and precursor layer 154. Precursor layer 154 is structured as a stack of sublayers 160 and 164. Sublayers 160 and 164 directly contact each other. In some embodiments, sublayer 160 is a sublayer of an electrophilic -hydrogel precursor and sublayer 164 is a sublayer of a nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor. In other embodiments, the composition of the sublayers is reversed and sublayer 160 is a sublayer of a nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor and sublayer 164 is a sublayer of an electrophilic-hydrogel precursor. In some embodiments, precursor layer 154 is structured as three or more alternating sublayers, such as sublayer 160/sublayer 164/sublayer 160, with adjacent sublayers in direct contact with each other. As used herein throughout, direct contact between hydrogel precursors indicated more than incidental or inadvertent contact involving a substantial surface area of the respective components along an expanded dimension of a layer, and generally, this would involve a layer on layer interaction. Multiple sublayers may be the same thickness or different thicknesses. In some embodiments, precursor layer 104/154 has a visualization agent so that precursor layer 104/154 is visually distinguishable from substrate 102/152. In preferred embodiments, precursor layer 104/154 has a blue or green coloration due to the presence of dye. Fig. 1C illustrates another structure of a hemostatic patch. Hemostatic patch 170 has compressed substrate 172 and precursor layer 174. In general, compressed substrate 172 is porous and absorbent. In some embodiments, precursor layer 174 penetrates into a porous structure of compressed substrate 172. Precursor layer 174 can be prepared from the same compositions and/or have the same sublayer structures as described above for precursor layer 104 and/or precursor layer 154. In some embodiments, precursor layer 174 has fractures, such as microfractures and/or cracks. Fig. ID illustrates another structure of a hemostatic patch. Hemostatic patch 180 has compressed substrate 182 and cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 with a shattered surface 186. In general, cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 has a precursor material embedded into the substrate material, while presenting a surface located on one side of compressed substrate 182. In some embodiments, the surface area of compressed substrate 182 associated with cohesive hydrogel precursor network 184 is fully coated with a hydrogel precursor blend. In general, compressed substrate 182 is porous and absorbent. In general, the hydrogel precursor has good cohesion within cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 to resist crumbling and loss of the precursor material even though the surface is shattered. In general, the hydrogel precursor within cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 has good adhesion with compressed substrate 182. In some embodiments, good cohesion and/or good adhesion may be characterized by cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 being resistant to flaking-off during handling and/or further processing. Handling and/or further processing may include calendering, such as to induce the shattering of surface 186 of cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184, as well as handling following forming the patch involving, for example, bending, folding, packaging, and/or shipping. In general, compressed substrate region 183, which is opposite cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184, is free of hydrogel precursor. Cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 can be prepared by applying a blend of an electrophilic-hydrogel precursor and a nucleophilic -hydrogel precursor onto a porous hydrophilic substrate, such as a crosslinked gelatin substrate or by applying separate precursors as adjacent layers that may blend to some degree during application, but otherwise are adjacent along the area of the patch. In some embodiments, the porous hydrophilic substrate has a fractured cell structure.

In some embodiments, applying of the precursor material is performed with the porous hydrophilic substrate under compression, such as with a print head, to inject the hydrogel precursor into the substrate. In some embodiments, cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 has a surface that is coincident with one surface of substrate 182. In other embodiments, cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 has a surface that extends beyond the surface of substrate 182 opposite to compressed substrate region 183. Hydrogel layer 174 (Fig. 1C) extends beyond the surface of substrate 172 and may be considered as one embodiment of cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184. In some embodiments, the porous substrate is prepared by calendering prior to printing. In some embodiments, cohesive hydrogel precursor structure 184 has fractures, such as microfractures and/or cracks. Compressed substrate 172/182 may be a crosslinked gelatin substrate. In some embodiments, compressed substrate 172/182 is a cellular sponge substrate. In some embodiments compressed substrate 172/182 is a compressed gelatin substrate, such as formed by compression of a rigid and/or crosslinked gelatin substrate. In additional or alternative embodiments, compressed substrate 172/182 is biodegradable. Generally, hemostatic patch 170/180 is relatively thin, such as no more than a centimeter in average thickness, and relatively flexible. The thickness, width, and length of the patch can be selected as appropriate for the particular application. The presentation of Figs. 1A, IB, 1C, and ID as separate illustrations does not imply that the features of the different illustrations cannot be combined or exchanged appropriately under the general discussion herein.

The dimensions of the hydrogel precursor patch can be selected to be suitable for appropriate applications. Furthermore, the overall thickness is split between the substrate thickness and the hydrogel precursor thickness. In this paragraph and the following paragraph, dimensions refer to the dimensions of the dry patch, and swelling from hydration is discussed further below. The area of the patch is generally not particularly limited and can be selected based on the desired placement of the patch. For commercial application, different sizes can be distributed for selection by the user. Practical constraints generally would suggest patch areas of no more than 20 centimeters (cm) x 20 cm for human patients, although larger patches could be used, and within these values, any smaller ranges could be selected, such at 5 cm x 5 cm, 10 cm x 5cm, 2 cm x 4 cm, etc. Convention may suggest certain dimensions for certain applications. Different sizes can be sold for selection of a desired size by the health care professional. In general, patches can also be cut to size using instruments available in an operating room environment to meet particular situations encountered.

A thickness of a patch may depend on balancing ability to flex the patch to conform to an application site and the ability to absorb a desired amount of fluid, along with resorption times. Thicker patches may be less flexible and may take longer to hydrate and to degrade, while thicker patches can absorb more blood and other fluids. Similarly, thinner patches generally absorb less, may be more flexible and may degrade faster, shortening persistence times. The crosslinking hydrogel precursor layer generally provides all or a majority of the adhesion of the patch during the initial application of the patch. The substrates can be selected to provide a significant amount of absorption of fluids. In some embodiments, patch may have a dry average thickness from about 0.25 mm to about 10 mm, in additional embodiments from about 0.3 mm to about 9 mm, in further embodiments from about 0.35 mm to about 8 mm, and in other embodiments from about 0.4 mm to about 6 mm. Substrate 102/152/172/182 can have an average dry thickness of no more than about 10 mm, in some embodiments from about 0.2 mm to about 8 mm, in further embodiments from about 0.25 mm to about 7 mm, and in additional embodiments from about 0.3 mm to about 5.5 mm. Precursor layer 104/154/174 can have an average thickness from about 25 microns to about 2 mm, in further embodiments from about 30 microns to about 1.75 mm and in other embodiments from about 40 microns to about 1.5 mm. The precursor layer can penetrate partially into the substrate. In some embodiments, a significant fraction of the precursor layer would remain on top of the substrate to present a dry precursor layer for application of the patch. For evaluation of the average precursor layer thickness, it can be accurately estimated by dividing the loading of precursor per unit surface area (g/cm ² ) by the precursor density (g/cm ³ ) to calculate an average thickness or applying the precursor layer over a nonporous substrate and measuring the dry average thickness since the relatively dense character of the precursor layer should not be materially altered by the substrate. While in general, the patch can have these ratios of thicknesses for the substrate and hydrogel precursor coating, in some embodiments, it is desirable for the dry substrate to be at least as thick as the dry hydrogel precursor layer, in further embodiments at least about 60%, in some embodiments from 65% to 95%, and in other embodiments from about 70% to about 90% of the dry patch thickness is the substrate thickness. For ease of measurement, the substrate thickness includes any hydrogel precursors that penetrate into the substrate. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of dimensions and thicknesses within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. Generally, the hydrogel precursor layer can be added without significantly detracting from the porous, absorbing nature of a substrate material.

More generally, besides gelatin based substrates, suitable substrates for patches can be formed in principle from natural materials, synthetic materials or a combination thereof. Synthetic materials for absorbent substrates include for example, polyesters, polyurethanes, high molecular weight polyethylene oxide (PEG), or other reasonable synthetic polymers. Resorbable polyesters include, for example, poly (lactic acid), poly (glycolic acid) or copolymers thereof. High molecular weight PEO can dissolve slowly in water. Natural materials are generally processed appropriately for inclusion in medical products, so they are generally modified to varying degrees from their natural form. Nevertheless, natural materials can provide desired properties suitable for the substrate, including high absorption of aqueous solutions and degradation in in vivo applications in reasonable period of time. Suitable natural materials include for example, polysaccharides and materials derived from extracellular matrix proteins. For example, polysaccharides that are derivatives of cellulose, pectin, hyaluronic acid or chitosan can be used for making absorbent sheets. Commonly used materials are forms of cellulose that include, for example, ester and ether derivatives, such as cellulose acetate, or ethylcellulose. Oxidized cellulose is a material that aids in hemostasis, but this material is generally believed to be poorly absorbed and may cause postoperative complications, and hydroxycellulose, nitrocellulose or other forms can be appropriate.

Collagen is an extracellular matrix protein that in native form can be found in triple stranded fibrils. Purified collagens can take various forms, and gelatin is a partially hydrolyzed form of collagen. Collagen can be derivatized on other ways, if desired. Highly absorbent and absorbable collagen sponges have been developed, and these can be used alone as hemostatic members. Commercial versions are sold, for example, under the Trademarks Avitene™ MCH and Avitene™ Ultrasponge by Becton, Dickinson and Company. Gelita Medical GMBH sells gelatin (collagen based) hemostatic materials that can provide the basis for patch substrates. Custom substrates can be formed using commercially available medical grade collagen or gelatin (e.g., from Gelita Medical or other supplier) formed into a sheet, optionally with crosslinking, such as glutaraldehyde crosslinking, and dried, such as lyophilized. While crosslinking can stabilize the collagen, strong chemical crosslinking can significantly increase persistence times.

Gelatin can be thermally crosslinked and/or chemically crosslinked, such as with formaldehyde or gluteraldehyde, to mechanically stabilize the material suitable for a substrate. Gelatin is a hydrolyzed form of collagen. The length of thermal crosslinking again influences the persistence times. While not wanting to be limited by theory, it is believed that thermal crosslinking can affect the crosslinking of suitable groups that are nearby in the structure. In contrast, chemical crosslinking can form more complex crosslinked structures that can provide for significant entropic stabilization. Sufficiently extended chemical crosslinking can result in essentially a permanent/nondegradable material. Chemically crosslinked collagen has been used for prosthetic tissue, for heart valves and other prostheses for decades. Prior to thermal crosslinking, the gelatin is placed in the desired shape and then heated, for example, in an oven or the like. In general, thermal crosslinking can be performed at temperatures from about 100°C to about 200°C, and in further embodiments from about 120°C to about 180°C for time from about 15 minutes to about 4 hours and in further embodiments from about 25 minutes to about 3 hours. A person of ordinary skill in the art can adjust the time and temperature to achieve desired properties, such as porosity, and mechanical stability along with persistence times after in vivo implantation, which are discussed further below. Using the thermally crosslinked gelatin material, the substrate can be a foam, a non-woven tufted material, or a nonwoven felted material. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of temperatures and times within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

Commercial gelatin sponges are available in which the gelatin is foamed and may or may not be chemically crosslinked. Exemplified gelatin sponges in the Examples are commercial material that is foamed and not crosslinked. Use of uncrosslinked gelatin avoids concerns about release of potentially toxic chemicals used for crosslinking. The resulting foamed gelatin material has a porous structure with a sponge-like cell structure. The density and pore sizes can be adjusted through the processing parameters. The commercial materials may be designed with appropriate absorbency to absorb fluids at a wound. While compression of a gelatin substrate is found to significantly improve flexibility, the absorbency is found not to significantly change. Absorbency can be evaluated by placing the sponge in a volume of saline, and the weight can be evaluated after the sponge is immersed and reaches a plateau with respect to absorption of liquid. With denser substrates, the plateau in swelling may not be reached for a longer period of time, while with the highly porous gelatin sponges, the plateau maybe reached more quickly, generally with a majority of the swelling reached after about 10 minutes. While waiting longer for measurement after reaching the swelling plateau is fine, measurement can be made if desired after 24 hours to comfortably capture swelling, but the swell measurement should be made prior to significant breakdown of the hydrogel. A significant fraction of the swelling can occur in less than a minute for the highly foamed gelatin sponges, which denser substrate may not plateau for significantly longer. Substrates generally absorb at least about 100% of their dry weight with liquid, in some embodiments at least about 150%, in further embodiments at least about 200%, in other embodiments at least about 250%, and in additional embodiments at least about 350%, and in general the biocompatible substrate is capable of absorbing in the range from 100 wt% to 2500 wt% water relative to dry patch weight. In general, the initial uncompressed volume provides a rough upper limit on the swollen weight of solvent with allowance for some swelling. In some embodiments, the compressed substrate (without the hydrogel precursor layer) can absorb at least about 80% of the liquid as the uncompressed substrate, in further embodiments at least about 90%, and in some embodiment at least about 92.5% of the liquid as the uncompressed initial substrate, which suggest possible swelling of the compressed substrate close to its uncompressed values. In the examples, the compressed substrate absorbs liquid at over 98% relative to the uncompressed substrate material. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

With respect to improved flexibility following compression, this can be evaluated relative to the corresponding substrate material without compression. While, a thinner uncompressed material may be more flexible than the thicker version, its absorbency is reduced roughly by the change in thickness and corresponding loss of mass. Thus, it is appropriate to compare versions with approximately the same absorbency. Since the flexibility is also dependent on the initial thickness of the substrate as well as the material used to form the substrate, attempting to quantify the improved flexibility may not be particularly meaningful. The substrate flexibility can be qualitatively compared by wrapping the substrate around a mandrel, in which case the more flexible substrate can be generally wrapped around a narrower mandrel without breaking. Thus, in some embodiments, a compressed substrate can be flexed around a mandrel with parallel folded sides with a diameter of 5 mm. However, the compressed substrate can lose mechanical strength. With respect to the force to bend the material, this force (flexural strength) is reduced, so the material can be bent or folded more readily. The columnar strength is reduced so squeezing two opposite sides crushes the material with less force, which reasonably follows from having the cells already fractured. The hydrogel precursor layers provide mechanical stabilization for the compressed substrate without significantly decreasing flexibility along axes parallel to the calender rolls due to the fractures in the hydrogel precursor layer.

The compression of the substrate can be performed in one or more compression stages. In embodiments of particular interest, at least the last compression is performed after the precursor layer is added on the top of the substrate, and at least one compression step is performed prior to the precursor layer deposition to provide greater penetration of the precursor layer while leaving a top surface of precursor layer. Subsequent compression steps can be performed at progressively smaller compression thicknesses, although due to some responsiveness of the material, subsequent compressions can be performed at the same or potentially slightly wider compression thicknesses. The initial gelatin sponge thickness provides the basic parameters for the eventual assembled structure, as modified by the processing which collectively determine the properties. The final compression is generally at a spacing of no more than about 85%, in embodiments no more than about 65% of the initial substrate average thickness, in some embodiments no more than about 55%, and in further embodiments from about 20% to about 50% of the initial average substrate thickness. In some embodiments, compression ranges can have a lower limit of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% or 30% and upper limits can be 85%, 75%, 65%, 60%, 55%, 50% or 45%, and a range can include any one of these lower limits combined with any one of these upper limits. While the substrate material can have some rebound from compression, it can be desirable for at least about 40% of a compression step be maintained (no more than about 60% rebound), thus compression from 2 mm to 1.5 mm would involve a rebound to a final average thickness of no more than about 1.8 mm, such that the gelatin is not too elastic, although in some embodiments, the rebound can be 100% for no net compression. In general, the rebound can be from about 0% to about 100%, in some embodiments from about 10% to about 90%, and in other embodiments from about 15% to about 80%, and in other embodiments from about 20% to about 70%. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of relative compression amounts and rebound within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

While in principle the various approaches can be suitable for applying the compression, the use of calender rollers or the like provide shear in addition to compression relative to, for example, the use of flat plates. The shear along the edge passing through the rollers applies an additional force for fragmenting the cell structure of the sponge. In particular, when the hydrogel precursor layer is on the substrate, shear tends to crack the hydrogel precursor layer, which further contributes to flexibility as well as faster hydration upon contact with bodily fluids. The nature of the cracks generally depends on the amount of compression as well as the material properties, but the cracks or fractures may or may not run through the whole thickness of the hydrogel precursor layer. While precise characterization of the fractures is not particularly appropriate since they are randomly placed, there is generally a visible fracture within each square centimeter of the completed structure in some embodiments. Calender rollers are also particularly desirable for process flow for continuous production.

Calender rollers and associated conveyance systems are well known in various industrial contexts. Calender rolls are well established in polymer processing and food processing and some equipment can be shared between different industries. A pasta roller is used in the examples for convenience. Generally, the commercial calender rollers have an adjustable thickness. A plurality of calender rollers can be placed in series to perform sequential calendering steps, such as at reduced thicknesses, although other production configurations can sequentially use the same calender rollers with appropriate adjustment between runs. As noted above, the hydrogel precursor layer can be formed prior to a calendering step, such as a last calendering step. The formation of the hydrogel precursor layer is described in detail in the following. While roll-to-roll processing can be done in principle, the foamed gelatin is generally formed in blocks or other set shapes that can be cut to desired dimensions, including thickness. Thus, a process system can be designed to handle sheets of gelatin sponge. In some embodiments, the sheets can be relatively large for subsequent cutting into individual patches for packaging. If a sheet is cut into individual sheets, this allows for potential discarding of edge sections of the larger sheets, which may have less uniformity depending on the process considerations.

Since the components of the patch tend to be hydrophilic and/or hydroscopic, the components can be dried/desiccated prior to processing to form the patch. Suitable drying techniques can comprise, for example, drying under vacuum, drying under heat, drying under a desiccant, lyophilization, or the like, or combinations thereof. It can be desirable to get hydration levels to no more than 5 weight percent water, in further embodiments, no more than about 3 weight percent, in further embodiments no more than about 2 weight percent, or significantly lower in some embodiments. Water content can be determined by coulometric titration (Karl Fischer) or loss on drying methods. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges within the explicit ranges above of moisture content are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

The hydrogel precursors can be selected to provide desirable absorption and crosslinking in contact with physiological solutions while remaining stable as the coating during storage under dry, generally refrigerated, conditions for an appropriate shelf-life, such as at least two months and in some embodiments at least about six months. The nucleophilic group can be a protonated amine in which the acidic amine in its protonated form is protected from crosslinking reactions. Suitable electrophilic groups crosslink with unprotonated amines when in contact in the same phase, whether co-melted in a mixture or dissolved in a solvent, which generally have a pH of at least about 7.1, that deprotonate the in initially protonated amines.

With respect to buffers, the hydrogel precursors are not considered to be buffers whether or not they alter the pH and may, in principle, provide some buffer function. The amine precursors are provided in an acidified form with the acidic proton functioning as a protecting group blocking crosslinking. Upon contact with a bodily fluid at physiological pH, the acidified amine can be deprotonated so that it can crosslink with the electrophilic precursor. The layer of uncrosslinked precursors may not include any significant added buffer, and desirable patch performance is found with no added buffer. A buffer can be considered as any Brpnsted base, which generally would be an anion (B ) corresponding to a weak acid (HB). Anions corresponding to strong acids, such as halide anions, do not act as aqueous buffers, and the amine precursors are generally provided as HC1 salts or similar strong acid analogs.

Generally, pH is used to gate the crosslinking reaction, and the amines are provided in acidified form which inhibits crosslinking. Thus, the avoidance of high pH buffer in the precursor layer avoids any premature crosslinking reaction through activation by a buffer. As physiological fluid permeates the patch upon use, the pH change induced by the physiological fluid rapidly deprotonates the amine and induces crosslinking. Since the precursors are mixed or in direct contact in the dry patch, the precursors can crosslink rapidly and with a relatively high initial crosslinking density to provide good adherence without needing to wait longer for more complete crosslinking. Gel times are described further below.

In hydrogel systems, suitable functional groups for crosslinking monomers to form adhered patches in situ may be advantageously used, including monomers, generally macromers as specified below, that contain electrophilic groups that demonstrate activity toward amine functional groups. Thus, multi-component hydrogel systems can spontaneously crosslink when the components are activated by contact with physiological liquids, but the two or more components are appropriately stable for a reasonable process time before activation by the physiological liquids. Such systems include, for example, monomers (generally, although not necessarily, macromers) that are di- or multifunctional number of amines in one component and macromers with di- or multifunctional number electrophilic groups, such as N- hydroxysuccinimide ester containing moieties, in the other component. N-hydroxy succinimide ester functional groups facilitate amide bond formation in reactions with amines and have been used in other medical hydrogels, although other suitable electrophilic precursors are described below. The N-hydroxysuccinimide esters are generally pendent on a hydrophilic core.

The hydrogel precursors can have crosslinking activated by the physiological fluids contacted by the precursors following delivery. The hydrogel precursors described herein can be designed to hydrate relatively quickly. Hydrogel and precursor solution properties are described further below. The parameters that influence the properties include: functional group chemistry, crosslinking density/molecular weights of the monomers, monomer composition, substrate composition, and patch structure.

The crosslinking density of the resultant biocompatible crosslinked polymer is controlled by the overall molecular weight of the macromers and the number of functional groups available per molecule. A lower molecular weight between crosslinks such as 600 Da give a higher crosslinking density as compared to a higher molecular weight such as 10,000 Da. Higher molecular weight macromers with significant branching provide desirable gelatin times, and in some embodiments more than 2500 Da so as to obtain elastic gels. In certain embodiments, the nucleophilic acid conjugated polymer (with an amine) is not significantly smaller in molecular weight than the electrophilic one. In some embodiments, it is the same size or larger.

The crosslinking density also may be controlled by the ratio of nucleophilic groups and electrophilic groups in the mixed precursor material. For the dry solid precursor layer, the gel times depend significantly on the time to hydrate since the crosslinking reactions can take place in water and since the amines deprotonate to be available for nucleophilic substitution. A rapidly hydrating substrate can help to hydrate the dried hydrogel precursors, and size of the hydrophilic cores in the precursor molecules can influence hydration times. While not wanting to be limited by theory, it is thought that longer gel times can be related to slower diffusion of physiological fluids into and/or slower diffusion of the acid conjugate species out of in situ placed patches. Yet another method to control crosslink density is by adjusting the stoichiometry of nucleophilic functional groups to electrophilic functional groups. A one to one ratio of electrophilic groups and amine groups should provide for a highest crosslinking density, although electrophilic groups in the precursors can react, in principle, with amines in proteins in physiological solutions as well as in the tissue. In the Examples, desirable performance is obtained with a 1:1 ratio of functional groups.

Monomers

Monomers capable of being crosslinked to form a biocompatible structure, e.g., an implant, may be used. As noted above, monomers can be macromers, which may or may not be polymers. The term polymer, as used herein, means a molecule formed of at least three repeating groups, which then may have reactive functional groups pendent on the polymer. Generally, the term "reactive precursor species" means a polymer, functional polymer, macromolecule, or small molecule that can take part in a reaction to form a network of crosslinked molecules, e.g., a hydrogel. As noted above, for the formation of rapidly crosslinking hydrogel precursor systems, the monomers are generally, although not necessarily, macromers, as specified below since macromers generally allow for more rapid hydration along with more rapid deprotonation of the amines. Monomers may include, for example, the biodegradable, water-soluble macromers described in U.S. Patent No. 7,332,566 to Pathak et al. (hereinafter the '566 patent), entitled "Biocompatible Crosslinked Polymers With Visualization Agents," incorporated herein by reference. These monomers are characterized by having at least two polymerizable groups, and may or may not be separated by at least one degradable region. Upon crosslinking, the product polymers form coherent hydrogels that persist indefinitely or until eliminated by degradation, which can involve, for example, enzymatic reactions or hydrolysis. Generally, a macromer is formed with a core of a polymer that is water soluble and biocompatible, such as a polyalkylene oxide, e.g. polyethylene glycol, which can be flanked by hydroxy-carboxylic acids such as lactic acid, to form degradable esters or non-degradable amides. Suitable monomers, in addition to being biocompatible, and non-toxic, also can be at least somewhat elastic after crosslinking or curing. For the electrophilic compounds or compounds with amine groups, the cores of the compounds can have a plurality of arms or branches each with a functional group suitable for crosslinking. PEG-based polymers with three or more arms are generally star polymers with a branched core with the extending PEG polymer arms. As noted above polyethylene glycol (PEG) based monomers are established medical hydrogel precursors, and precursor compounds are commercially available with various numbers of arms, molecular weights and functional groups.

The nucleophilic functional groups generally are amine groups. The amine groups can be protonated as a protecting group or gate to control crosslinking. The nucleophilic amine groups of the precursors can be designed to significantly deprotonate at physiological pH values, such as from about 7.1 to about 7.6 pH units, although blood and tissue generally is at a narrower pH range in a healthy individual. While macromers are exemplified and provide desirable properties, trilysine has been used in medical hydrogels as a poly-amine monomer, and similar compounds can be used. The electrophilic functional groups can be selected to react in addition reactions with the amines to form crosslinks. N-hydroxylsuccinimide esters are desirable electrophilic groups, although other suitable groups are described below. One or both of the functional groups can be pendent on a hydrophilic core, which can help to provide desired swelling with liquid upon hydration. In some embodiments, the polymers may have a hydrolytically biodegradable portion or linkage, for example an ester, carbonate, or other suitable linkage, although enzymatically degradable linkages may be present additionally or alternatively. Several such linkages are well known in the art and originate from alpha-hydroxy acids, their cyclic dimers (anhydrides), or other chemical species used to synthesize biodegradable moieties, such as, glycolide, dl-lactide, 1-lactide, caprolactone, dioxanone, trimethylene carbonate or a copolymer thereof. In particular, the electrophilic monomers can conveniently be provided with degradable linkages.

Generally, the monomer providing electrophilic functional groups and the monomer providing the amine groups are macromers to provide for more rapid hydration of the dry precursor layer. The macromers generally have biologically inert and water soluble cores with pendent reactive functional groups for crosslinking. When the core is a polymeric region that is water soluble, polymers that may be used can be natural or synthetic polymers. Suitable polymers for the core can include polyethers, for example, polyalkylene oxides such as polyethylene glycol("PEG"), polyethylene oxide (“PEG"), polyethylene oxide-co- polypropylene oxide ("PPO"), co-polyethylene oxide block or random copolymers, poloxamers, such as Pluronic® F-127; as well as polyoxazolines, polyvinyl alcohol ("PVA"); poly (vinyl pyrrolidinone) ("PVP"); and polysaccharides, such as hyaluronic acid, chitosan, dextran or digested cellulose and derivatives thereof. Based on extensive experience in existing medical products, star-branched poly ethers and more particularly polyethylene glycol (also known as poly(oxyalkylenes) or poly(ethylene oxide)) are especially suitable. Acidified amines or electrophilic groups can be located at the end of the arms of each branch or a portion thereof. For PEG precursors, a common notation in the medical hydrogel art is to refer to the number of arms and molecular weight along with the functional groups on the arms, such as 4A15K NH2-HCI for a 4 arm PEG with a 15,000 Daltons molecular weight and acidified amine with chloride ions or 8A20K NHS ester, for an eight arm PEG with a molecular weight of 20,000 Daltons with a N- hydroxy succinimidyl ester functional group.

PEG based hydrogels have found broad use in medical products. As a result, they are widely accepted and PEG-monomers with a range of functionality are commercially available in medical grade. Polyoxazolines have gained attention as a potentially desirable alternative to PEG-based products. Poly(2-oxazoline)s have the structure -(CEhCEhNXCOR))-, where the R group can be H, an alkyl group or other functionality. Amine terminated poly(2-ethyl-2- oxazoline) is available from Sigma- Aldrich. Terminally functional monomers do not allow for crosslinking, but a poly functionalized electrophilic monomer with three or more functional groups can effectuate crosslinking. Poly(2-R-2- oxazoline)s with 25% side chains populated with N-hydroxylsuccinimiide (NHS)-ethyl groups were synthesized as described in published U.S. patent application 2019/0125922 to Bender et al., entitled "Tissue-Adhesive Porous Hemostatic Product," incorporated herein by reference.

It has been determined that hydrogels formed with macromers with longer distances between crosslinks are generally softer, more compliant, and more elastic. Thus, in the polymers of the '566 patent, increased length of the water-soluble segment, such as polyethylene glycol, tends to enhance elasticity. Molecular weights of hydrophilic macromers as used herein, such as macromers with polyethylene glycol macromer cores, generally are at least about 2,000 Da, in some embodiments from about 2500 Da to about 500,000 Da, in other embodiments from about 5,000 Da to about 250,000 Da, in further embodiments from about 7500 Da to about 100,000 Da, in additional embodiments from about 10,000 Da to about 50,000 Da, and in other embodiments in the range of about 15,000 Da to about 40,000 Da. PEG precursors in the lower portions of these weight ranges may be liquids. As used herein, molecular weights (mass) are in conventional units, which can be equivalently Daltons or as a molar mass- grams/mole (assuming natural isotopic presence in either case), and for polymers molecular weights are generally reported as averages if there is any distribution of molecular weights. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are in the present disclosure.

The hydrogel precursors in the hydrogel precursor solutions have a ratio of electrophilic functional groups and amine functional groups. The ratio of functional groups can alter the crosslinking density and the nature of the resulting hydrogel. Generally, if the number ratio of electrophilic functional groups to amines is one to one, the hydrogel can fully crosslink given sufficient time and lack of constraints. In some embodiments, the ratio of nucleophilic functional groups to electrophilic functional groups is not less than 1. Generally, the ratio of electrophilic functional groups to nucleophilic functional groups can be from about 0.8 to 1.2, and in further embodiments from about 0.9 to about 1.1, in further embodiments from about 0.95 to about 1.05, in other embodiments from about 0.98 to about 1.02, in additional embodiments from about 0.99 to about 1.01 and in some embodiments from about 0.995 to about 1.005, although the ratio can be approximately 1:1. Person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of ratios within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

To achieve the desired ratios of functional groups, the functional groups can be distributed in various ways. Pendent functional groups extending from a core can be referred to as being associated with an arm of the precursor. A precursor generally has 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more arms. At least one precursor generally has at least 3 arms to obtain crosslinking, and 4, 6 or 8 armed precursors can be convenient for obtaining desirable hydrogel properties. To obtain a one-to-one ratio of functional groups, equal molar amounts of precursors can be used if they have the same number of arms, or if different numbers of arms are present on the respective precursors, the mole ratios can be correspondingly adjusted. Thus, twice the molar amount of a 4-arm precursor can be combined with an 8-arm precursor to obtain a 1:1 functional group ratio. For weight ratios, the mole ratios can be adjusted accordingly based on the relative weights, for an 8-arm 10K MW (10,000 molecular weight) precursor it would be combined with twice the mass of an 8-arm 20K MW precursor to get a 1:1 functional group ratio. A person of ordinary skill in the art can adjust these calculations to obtain a different number ratio for the functional groups.

Functional Groups and Crosslinking Reactions

The crosslinking reactions generally are designed to occur upon hydration with aqueous fluids that are essentially physiological fluids in vivo, surrounded by physiological conditions, although the medical procedure may involve some local dilution or modification of the physiological fluids, such as with disinfecting agents or other procedural expedient, from their pure natural state without changing the basic processing of the hydrogel precursors. To assist with hydration, the substrates can be wet before applying the patch to the tissue, as explained further below. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference herein to physiological fluids can involve minor modifications of natural fluids due to the medical procedure. Thus, the crosslinking reactions occur "in situ", meaning they occur at local sites such as on an organ or tissues in a living animal or human body. Due to the in situ nature of the reaction, the crosslinking reactions can be designed not to release undesirable amounts of heat of polymerization. Gelation times for desirable procedures are described above, and full crosslinking can be completed generally after times from 2 minutes to 10 hours, although other times outside this range may be acceptable. For longer complete crosslinking times may begin to compete with degradation times.

Certain functional groups, such as alcohols or carboxylic acids, do not normally react with other functional groups, such as amines, under physiologically acceptable pH. However, such functional groups can be made more reactive by using an activating group such as N- hydroxysuccinimide or derivatives thereof. In general, several methods for activating such functional groups are known in the art. Suitable activating groups include, for example, carbonyldiimidazole, sulfonyl chloride, chlorocarbonates, aryl halides, sulfo succinimidyl esters, N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester (NHS), succinimidyl ester, succinimidyl amide, epoxide, aldehyde, maleimides, imidoesters and the like. The N-hydroxy succinimide esters or N- hydroxysulfosuccinimide groups are desirable groups for crosslinking of amine functionalized polymers such as amino terminated polyethylene glycol ("APEG") since they have found acceptance in medical implants from long periods of use in approved products. A further extensive discussion of general medical hydrogels is found in U.S. patent 7,332,566 to Pathak et al., entitled "Biocompatible Crosslinked Polymer With Visualization Agents," incorporated herein by reference.

Suitable nucleophilic functional groups are polymers with primary amines conjugated to an acid. Thus, the other functional group used for the crosslinking generally is an amine. Amines are weak bases. In some embodiments, the acid conjugate is HC1, and an HC1 salted amine, such as a PEG amine, is formed. The acid conjugate can be chosen to match the approximate molarity of the amine. The advantage of an NHS-amine reaction is that the reaction kinetics lead to quick gelation usually within 10 about minutes, more usually within about 1 minute and most usually less than 30 seconds. Gelation times can be limited by hydration times for the dried hydrogel precursors. The protonated amines are generally not suitable for performing nucleophilic substitution. Thus, the precursor blend can be prepared at a suitable pH to maintain substantially protonated amines prior to delivery for contact with a physiological solution.

The crosslinking density of the resultant biocompatible crosslinked hydrogel is controlled by the overall molecular weight of the monomers and the number of functional groups available per molecule. A lower molecular weight between crosslinks such as 2000 Da will give a higher crosslinking density as compared to a higher molecular weight such as 100,000 Da. Higher molecular weight monomers can be used to obtain more elastic hydrogels, and correspondingly lower molecular weight monomers can be used to obtain less elastic hydrogels. Different applications may suggest different properties for the hydrogels.

Another method to control crosslink density is by adjusting the stoichiometry of nucleophilic functional groups to electrophilic functional groups. A one to one ratio can lead to the highest crosslink density. In general, over time, the hydrogel completes curing so that available crosslinking sites form crosslinking bonds. If the electrophilic and nucleophilic are provided in equal equivalent amounts it can be expected that approximately all functional groups form crosslinking bonds after full curing. Equal numbers (or reaction equivalents) of the two types agents generally provides the highest crosslinking density. If a different ratio of functional groups is used, the properties of the cured hydrogel can be accordingly somewhat different. The crosslinking density can depend on the number of functional groups on the precursor molecules as well as on the ratio of precursor molecules. A non- stoichiometric ratio of electrophilic and nucleophilic groups can be used to alter the crosslinking density if desired. The ratio of functional groups is described further above. Degradable or Non-De gradable Linkages

Generally, it is desirable for the patches to be degradable, and in some embodiments relatively quickly degradable. Thus, if the patches are implanted, they do not persist indefinitely. For the patch to degrade, both the substrate and the in situ formed hydrogel degrade. Depending on the application, it may or may not be desirable for the hydrogel to be degradable, such as through hydrolysis or biodegradation due to enzymatic activity, although for hemostatic patches, the patches generally are designed to degrade quickly so they do not persist long after stable clotting. If it is desired that the biocompatible crosslinked hydrogel polymer be degradable or absorbable, one or more precursors having degradable linkages present in between the functional groups may be used. As used in the art, absorbable polymers can be referred to as biodegradable if they are absorbed under physiological conditions, whether or not they degrade by biological action, such as enzymatic cleavage. The degradable linkage optionally also may serve as part of the water soluble core of one or more of the precursors. In the alternative, or in addition, the functional groups of the precursors may be chosen such that the product of the reaction between them results in a degradable linkage. For each approach, degradable linkages may be chosen such that the resulting degradable biocompatible crosslinked hydrogel polymer degrades or is absorbed in a desired period-of- time range. In other embodiments, functional groups and linkages with functional groups can be selected to resist degradation under physiological conditions to substantially reduce or eliminate absorption of the patch.

Generally, degradable linkages are selected that degrade the hydrogels under physiological conditions into non-toxic products for removal from the patient by natural pathways. Illustrative enzymatically hydrolyzable biodegradable linkages include peptidic linkages cleavable by metalloproteinases or collagenases. Additional illustrative biodegradable linkages can be functional groups on the core polymers and copolymers, such as hydroxy-carboxylic acids, orthocarbonates, anhydrides, lactones, (aminoacids, carbonates, phosphonates or combinations thereof. In exemplified embodiments, the degradable linkages are esters formed by hydroxy-carboxylic acid moieties adjacent the electrophilic group used for crosslinking. Esters can degrade gradually by hydrolysis under physiological conditions, with persistence time depending on the specific structure. To have non-degradable hydrogels, the esters formed by hydroxy-carboxylic acid moieties can be replaced by amide groups that generally do not hydrolyze under physiological conditions. Monomers with PEG cores are commercially available with N-hydroxysuccinimide electrophilic groups attached with amide linkages or alternatively with ester linkages, for example, from Jenkem Technology, TX, U.S.A. PEG-amines are also available from Jenkem with various numbers of arms and molecular weights. Desirable degradable electrophilic groups include, for example, N-hydroxy succinimidyl succinate (SS), N-hydroxy sulfosuccinimidyl succinate, N-hydroxy sulfosuccinimidyl gluterate, succinimidyl glutarate (SG), succinimidyl adipate (SAP), succinimidyl azelate (SAZ), or a mixture thereof. Examples are described below of rapidly degrading patches with the SS linker. Mixtures of degradable linkages and non-degradable linkages, such as the amides described above, can be used to adjust the persistence time, such as to form oligomeric species for clearing by the body.

Hydrogel and Patch Properties

Evaluation of patch properties can be performed in vitro under specified conditions so that the properties are independent of the biological conditions. Such evaluations are helpful to describe the patch characteristics, which are significant for actual use in vivo. In this context, we describe measurements of gel times, swelling, substrate porosity, burst strength and persistence times, and corresponding measurements are presented in the examples. However, for the evaluation of patch performance in actual procedures, protocols can be used to provide appropriate limits of patch behavior under in test conditions that mimic bleeding tissue to provide a reproducible context for patch evaluation. Examples below present results for the in vitro testing with comparisons in actual use for animal models. For the dry patches, the density of the patch (substrate and precursor layers) can be from about 0.075 g/cm ³ to about 0.5 g/cm ³ . For the precursor layer alone, the density can be from about 0.050 g/cm ³ to about 0.450g/cm ³ . A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of density within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

The gel time for a sample patch can be evaluated in a laboratory setting which provides an appropriate estimate for the in vivo performance. The Examples provide measurements made on specific samples. Gel times are evaluated with a commercial texture analyzer. Texture analyzers are available from Texture Technologies Corp./Stable Microsystems, Ltd. (such as model TA-XT Plus) and Brookfield Technologies (such as model CTX texture Analyzer). These systems are designed to analyze foods and soft medical materials. The instrument is first calibrated with a standard test block following a standard procedure for the instrument. A TA-005 probe (Texture Technologies) having a 1/4 inch diameter and a flat surface (alternatively a hemispherical shape) can be used with a 5 kg load cell. The sample holder is heated to 37°C to track standard body temperature. The sample holder is a non-porous polymer foam block with a 1.5 mm hole cut in the middle. An 8 mm diameter punch sample from the patch is placed centered over the hole in the sample holder placed precursor layer down. To initiate the test run, the tester is started, and 67 microliters (pl) of 37°C buffer solution (pH 8.0) is added for an 8 mm punch sample to the center of the test sample. The texture analyzer can be programmed accordingly to meet these parameters. The force needed to deform the patch by 0.4 mm is determined as a function of time.

The plot as a function of time results in a characteristic curve. The patch starts in a dehydrated state that is stiff, so the force is initially relatively high. Over the course of several seconds, the patch will hydrate and the force reaches a minimum. Crosslinking can be expected to initiate and undergo early processing during the hydration. As crosslinking continues, the force begins to increase indicating that crosslinking has reached a point of firming up the material. The time at which the force begins to increase is considered the gel time, which marks the point of gelation where the gel begins to firm. In these systems, the use of the patch involves hydration during which the solid precursors hydrate and start crosslinking. Thus the dissolving of the precursors is counteracted by the crosslinking. As the hydration initiates, the solid softens until the crosslinking progresses sufficiently starts firming up the hydrogel. The gelation process has a different character from solution based hydrogel system that start with dissolved precursors. The force continues to increase as the crosslinking continues after the start of gelation. The measurements are taken in triplicate for three equivalent punches from the same patch, and the results are averaged. For the patches described herein, the gel times generally are no more than about 5 minutes, in further embodiments from about 3 seconds to about 3 minutes, in some embodiments from about 4 seconds to about 2 minutes, and in additional embodiments from about 5 seconds to about 1 minute. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of gel times within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

Patch samples can also be tested for burst pressure, and these values are desirable for ensuring the samples have desired performance in actual use. Burst pressure measurements are designed to provide standard test conditions relating to the patch adhering to tissue that is bleeding. As noted above, some patches can be formed with compressed gelatin substrates that desirably provide a more flexible structure and/or more a uniform substrate surface while maintaining enough rigidity to resist warping/distortions of the substrate during coating. Results presented in the Examples below suggest that the patches with the compressed gelatin substrate exhibit approximately the same burst pressures. Experience to date suggests that patches with compressed gelatin substrates exhibit more uniform performance. As described after the burst testing explanation, the same samples can then be used to evaluate swelling. Burst testing can be evaluated on an apparatus designed to simulate bleeding tissue adapted for measurements according to ASTM F2392-04 (2015). The ASTM protocol provides information relating to the surface of the test fixture, which is then adapted for use with the porous plates of the test apparatus. It is believed that no commercial version of such testing equipment is available, but corresponding testing would be highly desirable for testing patches for clinical use. Thus, a comparable test apparatus was constructed with regulatory influence in design in view of and consistent with the noted ASTM protocol noted above, as described further in the Examples below.

For the testing, a calibrated syringe pump was used with a 60 ml syringe tube filed with saline and a setting on the pump of 2 ml/min. A burst fixture is used with a cavity connected to the syringe pump, in which the cavity has a circular opening at the top. A pressure sensor, such as a digital manometer, is hooked up also the cavity such that pressure in the cavity is measured. To start the test, the cavity is filed using the syringe pump until the cavity is almost full. A test block with a patch sample from the gel testing is placed over the hole on the top of the fixture with the patch punch sample facing upward. Similarly, a hydrated patch pressed to the test block could be similarly used, but using the patch after the gel test provides a uniformly prepared patch for burst testing. In this configuration, the hole in the sample holder is centered over the burst fixture cavity. A top half of the fixture is then tightened over the test block to secure the sample holder with a hole associated with a cavity extending through the top half of the fixture exposing the sample from the top. The measured pressure on the manometer is expected to increase once the top fixture secures the test block.

With the fixture secured with the top portion in place, the pump is started to pump water into the cavity to continue increasing the pressure in the cavity. The pump is operated until 1) liquid appears on the surface of the patch sample, 2) a popping sound is heard, or 3) the maximum pressure registered on the manometer does not change for 30 seconds. Once a condition has been reached, the pump is stopped and the maximum pressure value obtained is recorded as the burst pressure, which is recorded in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). For patch samples as described herein, the burst pressure can be at least about 10 mmHg, in further embodiments at least about 15 mmHg, in further embodiments at least about 50 mm Hg, and in other embodiments from about 20 mmHg to about 1500 mmHg. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of burst pressure within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

Upon hydration, both the substrate and the precursor layer swell. While swelling can, in principle, be evaluated several reasonable ways, herein swelling is evaluated by the weight due to water retention. For embodiments based on compressed substrates, the swelling based on weight may not change appreciably, so evaluation of overall swelling can be approximately unchanged relative to a comparable patch assembled on an uncompressed substrate. The dry weight of the patches before testing can be an initial reference point. Ultimately, swelling can be evaluated based on incubation with aqueous fluid, but over longer periods of time, the patch materials can degrade. Essentially, the swelling described herein is evaluated for sufficient period of time for the swelling to plateau upon incubation in 37°C phosphate buffered saline, which can be after about 24 hours for denser substrates or on the order of ten minutes or so for highly foamed gelatin sponges. The samples for evaluation can be the same samples used for other property measurements, and this gives consistent estimates of swelling using the hydrated, non-immersed weights as a reference point. If swelling is directly assessed from dry samples, air can be squeezed from the samples at early stages of the swelling to achieve appropriate measurements without significant delay. In some embodiments, the samples at the end of the burst test can be used to further evaluate swelling. The samples can be carefully removed from the sample holder following the completion of the burst test. The samples are then weighed to get an initial weight. Then, a weighed sample is placed into a 50 ml tube with roughly 45 ml of phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and sealed. PBS is a standard buffer for medical and other biological applications and generally comprises sodium chloride, some potassium chloride and phosphates. PBS is available from standard suppliers (Fisher Scientific, Sigma-Aldrich, etc.) and is classified in PubChem (https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ compound/Phosphate-Buffered-Saline). The sealed tubes are placed into a 37°C water bath. After 24 + 2 hours, the tubes are removed from the water bath. Then, the incubated samples are removed, patted dry and weighed. The value of percent swelling is determined form the following equation:

%Swelling = 100 x (weight out - weight in)/weight in.

The value for "weight-in" can be a dry weight or a weight corresponding to an alternative reference point, such as the weight following a burst test. For the patches described herein, the swelling (from following the burst test to incubated in PBS for 22-26 hours) can be at least about 100%, in further embodiments form about 135% to about 350%, and in other embodiments from about 150% to about 300%. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of swelling within the specific ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. While the substrate has a high swelling weight, it is initially porous, so the volume swelling may be muted. If the substrate is initially compressed relative to its initially formed dimensions due to fractured cells, the swelling may restore some or most of the initial dimensions of the structure. The hydrogel precursors are initially dense, so upon crosslinking and swelling the volume change generally is more significant for the crosslinking hydrogel. Thus, following hydration and swelling, the increase in volume of the hydrogel layer can be more significant than the substrate volume change.

Another significant characterization is the persistence of the patch. In vitro measurements can be made for consistent measurement to mimic the in vivo behavior. The persistence of the substrate and the associated crosslinked hydrogel layer can be different from each other. The persistence behavior of the substrate can be evaluated by continuing the swell test. Specifically, the samples loaded into the tubes with PBS can be kept in the 37°C heat bath until the substrate of the patch sample is no longer visible. The time at which the substrate of the samples disappear is considered the end of the substrate persistence time. Generally, the substrate disappears in no more than 96 hours, in further embodiments no more than about 84, and in additional embodiments from about 15 minutes to about 72 hours. It can be desirable in some embodiments for the substrate to disappear in no more than about 48 hours. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of degradation times within the explicit ranges are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. Generally, the hydrogel formed in situ persists longer than the substrate.

Visualization Agents

Where convenient, the biocompatible crosslinked hydrogel polymer may contain visualization agents to improve their visibility during medical procedures and provides quick confirmation of the patch orientation with respect to the surface to place against the wound. In principle, the substrate can have a visualization agent in addition to (same or different) or as an alternative to the hydrogel precursor layer. The examples have patches with a blue visualization agent only in the hydrogel precursor layer. As used herein, visualization agents can refer to optical visualization (with color), or visualization using an imaging modality, such as x-ray or ultrasound. Visualization agents are especially useful when used in minimally invasive surgery (MIS, e.g., laparoscopy) procedures, due to among other reasons, their improved visibility on a color monitor. It is sometimes useful to provide color by adding a colored visualization agent to the precursor melts prior to casting the hydrogel layer on the substrate. Visualization agents (optical) may be selected from among any of the various non-toxic colored substances suitable for use in medical implantable medical devices, such as FD&C BLUE dyes 1, 2, 3 and 6, indocyanine green, or colored dyes normally found in synthetic surgical sutures. In some embodiments, green or blue colors are desirable because these have better visibility in presence of blood or on a pink or white tissue background. The dyes can be added in trace amounts as dehydrated compounds to the melt blend for forming the dry hydrogel layer.

The selected colored substance may or may not become chemically bound to the hydrogel. Additional visualization agents may be used, such as fluorescent (e.g., green or yellow fluorescent under visible light) compounds (e.g., fluorescein or eosin), x-ray contrast agents (e.g., iodinated compounds) for visibility under x-ray imaging equipment, ultrasonic contrast agents (e.g., microbubbles), or MRI contrast agents (e.g., Gadolinium containing compounds). Biocompatible visualization agents FD&C BLUE #1 and fluoroscein-NHS can be particularly desirable for some applications. Visualization agents may also be biologically active agents suspended or dissolved within the hydrogel matrix, or the materials used to encapsulate a biologically active agent, if present.

As noted above, visually observable visualization agents can be advantageously used for some embodiments. Wavelengths of light from about 400 to 750 nm are observable to the human as colors (R.K. Hobbie, Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, 2 ^nd Ed., pages 371-373). Blue color is perceived when the eye receives light that is predominantly from about 450 to 500 nm in wavelength and green is perceived at about 500 to 570 nm (Id.). Further, since the eye detects red or green or blue, a combination of these colors may be used to simulate any other color merely by causing the eye to receive the proportion of red, green, and blue that is perceived as the desired color by the human eye. The color blue, as used herein, means the color that is perceived by a normal human eye stimulated by a wavelength of about 450 to 500 nm and the color green, as used herein, means the color that is perceived by a normal human eye stimulated by a wavelength of about 500 to 570 nm.

One or more visualization agents can be present in the final electrophilic-nucleophilic precursor layer at an appropriate concentration for visualization, such as about 0.0001 mg per square centimeter (g/cm ² ) to about 0.5 g/cm ² , although greater concentrations may potentially be used, up to the limit of solubility of the visualization agent. In some applications, these concentration ranges were found to give a color to the hydrogel that was desirable without interfering with crosslinking times (as measured by the time for the reactive precursor species to gel). The visualization agent is generally not covalently linked to the hydrogel. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of visualization agent concentrations within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

The visualization agent may serve to help visualize the interface of the patch with the underlying tissue. In some embodiments, the dye is conjugated to an electrophilic or nucleophilic end group to allow for incorporation into the patch for visualization with direct correlation to persistence. In some cases, the dye is fluorescent, allowing for visualization under special lighting conditions only and render the single system gel otherwise invisible under normal visual conditions.

The user may use visualization agents to see the hydrogel with the human eye or with the aid of an imaging device that detects visually observable visualization agents, e.g., a video camera. A visually observable visualization agent is an agent that has a color detectable by a human eye. A characteristic of providing imaging to an X-ray or MRI machine is not a characteristic sufficient to establish function as a visually observable visualization agent. An alternative embodiment is a visualization agent that may not normally be seem by the human eye but is detectable at a different wavelength, e.g., the infrared or ultraviolet, when used in combination with a suitable imaging device, e.g., a video camera. Similarly, an echolucent agent, such as air bubble, can provide improved imaging by ultrasound. Hydrogels with visualization agents for x-ray and/or ultrasound visualization are described further in U.S. patent 8,383,161 to Campbell et al., entitled "Radiopaque Covalently Crosslinked Hydrogel Particle Implants," incorporated herein by reference.

Radiopaque moieties can be introduced through radiopaque precursor molecules or covalently linked to the hydrogel functional groups. For example, triiodobenzoate can be bound to one of the arms of precursor at an ester group. The overall number of arms can be selected to achieve desired crosslinking and radio-opacity. A CT number (also referred to as a Hounsfield unit or number) is a measure of visibility under indirect imaging techniques. A CT number of at least about 50 may be used, and in some embodiments the CT number can be from about 70 to about 2000.

Methods for forming the Patch and Storage

The method for preparing the patch involves obtaining the substrate, applying the precursor layer, and packaging in a water-resistant package, as well as optional drying steps at one or more times through the process. If the substrate is not a commercial product, the method can further comprise preparing the substrate. If the substrate is derived from a commercial product, the processing can include cutting an appropriate size of the substrate from a larger block of the material or from a sheet of material. Some suppliers can provide sheets of gelatin substrate at a desired initial thickness. For commercial production, the processing can produce sheets of patch material with a hydrogel precursor layer that can then be cut to size if appropriate. Sizes generally can involve a set of commercial sizes for selection as appropriate by a health care professional with due attention that patches can be cut to size if desired at the time of use, as noted above. Application of the precursor layer can involve delivery of a melt blend or the solution coating with a non-aqueous precursor solution, and the layer deposition can optionally involve forming sublayers. The water content can be reduced below a target amount for packaging, and processing is generally performed in a closed environment with low water vapor levels since the materials generally are hydroscopic. Packaged patches are labeled for use and dated to reflect an appropriate shelf life and appropriate distributed.

Substrates can either be purchased in a form to be used or can be processed from appropriate starting materials. For gelatin substrates, these can be obtained as foamed sheets that are subsequently calendered, coated and otherwise further processed. Purchased materials can be procured according to product specifications, and desirable patch properties are described above, the substrates are correspondingly selected to meet these properties. Whether or not procured or further processed to prepare materials for patch formation, the substrates can be further dried before adding the precursor layer. Drying can be performed by various approaches, such as placement in a drying oven, contacting with dry gas, isolation with desiccant, combinations thereof, or the like. Suitable drying ovens can be selected based on the size of substrate material, and the heating can be continued until the relative humidity drops below a target value. Thermal treatments can be performed under suitably mild conditions so the properties of the material do not change in an undesirable way. Suitable desiccants are commercially available, such as zeolites, calcium chloride, calcium sulfate and the like.

In some embodiments based on gelatin sponge material as a substrate, the starting material can be purchased or produced. In either case, the material can be cut to a specified thickness, if appropriate, for further processing. Generally, the specific patch size may not be cut to size until the hydrogel precursor layer is applied and compression is performed, although it is possible to perform some final processing after cutting to size. Commercial suppliers of gelatin sponge material include, for example, Ethicon (USA), Gelita (Germany), Pfizer (Gelfoam®).

In some embodiments, the precursor layer can be formed using a solvent coating approach. The solutions of the precursors should be non-aqueous to avoid introducing water that would need to be removed and to avoid deprotonation of the amines. The precursors should nevertheless be soluble in the solvents. Suitable solvents can include, for example, aromatic liquids, such as toluene, xylene, chlorobenzene, ethyl benzene, or the like, alkanes, such as hexane, or aprotic solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate, acetone, acetonitrile, dimethylsufoxide, blends of two or more of any of these liquids, or the like. In general, the concentration would be selected to be as high as compatible with process conditions, such as viscosity, such that a uniform coating can be applied with lesser amounts of solvent. A person of ordinary skill in the art can select the concentration based on the selected coating technique and solvent selected. The solutions can comprise a visualization agent and possibly other additives, such as biologic s/therapeu tic agents. Suitable coating techniques include, for example spray coating, jet printing, slot coating, screen printing, extrusion or the like. As is well known in the art, extrusion generally would suggest different ranges of viscosity and solid concentrations than spray coating.

Using a solvent-free process has the advantage of avoiding solvent use and associated waste cleanup. The flow temperatures of polyethylene glycol (PEG) based precursors are fairly low, generally below 100°C and are relatively weakly molecular size dependent. Some low molecular weight PEG-based precursors can be liquids at room temperature, which can be blended with a precursor that is a solid at room temperature to form a solid blend. Polyoxazolenes generally have a moderately higher flow temperature, which can be from about 150°C to 250°C depending on the side chains and the molecular weights. Thus, blends of PEG based precursors can be formed at relatively low temperatures and appropriately coated onto the substrate using any reasonable technique. The precursor layer can comprise a visualization agent and possibly other additives, such as biologics/therapeutics. While other coating techniques can be used for the melt deposition, slot-die coating can be a convenient technique since suitable commercial apparatuses can maintain the material at the appropriate temperature while setting an adjustable coating thickness. The apparatus can be selected to match a desired substrate size, and the substrate can be conveniently supplied as a sheet or roll of material. Suitable commercial slot coating apparatuses include, for example, FOM Technologies (Denmark), Yasui Seiki (Miriwek Film, Ink, IN, USA), and Coating Tech Slot Dies, Corp. (WI, USA).

Figs. 2-4 illustrate various apparatuses for forming sealant patch 100, which can be used as a hemostatic patch. Referring to Fig. 2, spray coating apparatus 200 has precursor blend 202, which can be a melt blend or an organic solvent blend, in vessel 204. Precursor blend 202 may be a neat mixture of melted precursors. Alternatively, precursor blend 202 may be a melt blend having one or more additional components to lower the viscosity. Additional components may include, for example, solvents such as anhydrous organic solvents. Vessel 204 may be capable of mixing and/or heating precursor blend 202 prior to delivery through spray nozzle 205. Precursor blend spray 206 is deposited onto substrate 208 to form a sealant patch composition having a coating of mixed, unreacted precursors on substrate 208. In some embodiments, the formed sealant patch composition is dried to remove solvent and/or residual water. In some embodiments, the formed sealant patch composition is cut into individual patches and stored in a moisture-controlled packaging or container.

Referring to Fig. 3A, slot-die coating apparatus 300 has melt blend 302 in vessel 304. Melt blend 302 may be a neat mixture of precursors. Alternatively, melt blend 302 may have one or more additional components to modify the viscosity, such as organic solvents. Vessel 304 may be capable of mixing and/or heating melt blend 302 prior to delivery of melt blend 302 through slot-die 306 to form film 308 on substrate 310. Apparatus 300 may use additional equipment, such as filters, pumps, pulsation dampeners, degasification units, and/or flow regulators between vessel 304 and slot die 306. In general, film 308 is a continuous liquid film. Suitable slot coaters are commercially available, and use of one commercial slot coater is described in the Examples. Slot-die 306 can have various head sizes, viscosity ratings and stripe pattern options. The width of film 308 can be selected based on the choice of slot-die 306. The width of the film and slot dye can be selected to match the width of the desired product, or it can be wider than the width and cut to size after coating, such as a width that is a multiple of the product width and cut to form a plurality of products for each length of coated substrate. Slot-die 306 may be used to control the rate of deposition of melt blend 302 onto substrate 310, which correlates with the thickness of the precursor on the substrate. To perform the coating deposition with the slot die, the die and substrate are moved relative to each other, which can involve the substrate moving, the slot coater and die moving, or both moving. Apparatus 300 can be similarly used to coat a solvent blend.

As noted above, it can be desirable to deposit a liquid hydrogel precursor material, either a melt or a non-aqueous solution, onto and/or into a porous substrate under some compression. As shown in Fig. 3B with respect to slot-die coating apparatus 350, slot-die 356 may be used to control the rate of deposition of melt blend 302 and to inject melt blend 302 into substrate 310. To perform the injection of melt blend 302, slot die 356 and substrate 310 are moved relative to each other, with slot die 356 compressing substrate 310 at the injection location. The force applied to substrate 310 via slot die 356, the depth of compression of slot die 356 into substrate 310, and/or the rate of deposition can be adjusted to tailor the cohesive hydrogel precursor structure that is formed. In some embodiments, the depth of compression is from about 0.02 mm to 2 mm, in further embodiments from about 0.05 mm to about 1 mm, and in additional embodiments from about 0.2 mm to about 0.8 mm. In other embodiments, the depth of compression is from about 5% to about 30% or from about 5% to about 15% of the thickness of the substrate prior to coating. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of compression for coating within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. Porous substrate 310 can be somewhat elastic. Thus, with relatively mild compression during coating, the substrate may rebound to roughly the initial substrate thickness, as depicted in Fig. 3B. While a slot-die printhead as appropriately modified can be effective to apply modest compression, ancillary structure can be used to perform modest compression adjacent to the print head, and calender rollers or the like could be used for such a purpose.

In some embodiments, referring to Fig. 3A, substrate 310 is moved as shown by directional arrow 312 during deposition of melt blend 302, and slot-die 306 can be held in place. Rate of substrate translation along directional arrow 312 and parameters of slot-die 306 can be adjusted to alter the thickness of film 308. If multiple layers are desired, the substrate can be translated back in the opposite direction to form a second layer, or translated back without coating and translated forward along directional arrow 312 to further apply the subsequent coating layer. Similar multiple coatings can be performed based on the embodiment in Fig. 3B. The substrate can be supplied as individual units that are coated and subsequently cooled and/or dried for packaging. In other embodiments, the substrate can be provided as a larger sheet that is cut to size after coating, and the larger sheet may or may not be provided on a roll. Dry gelatin substrates are generally provided as a sheet that is relatively stiff.

In other embodiments, substrate 310 does not move but rather slot-die 306 (Fig. 3A) or slot-die 356 (Fig. 3B) moves along directional arrow 314 during deposition of melt blend 302. In further embodiments, substrate 310 does not move and slot-die 306 or 356 moves along the direction noted by directional arrow 314 for a period of time or until a selected travel distance is reached and then moves at the reverse direction indicated by directional arrow 316 for a period of time or until a selected travel distance is reached. Film 308 may be formed from a single deposition layer of melt blend 302 or multiple deposition layers of melt blend 302. In some embodiments, film 308 is formed by alternately depositing melt blend 302 while moving slot-die 306 or 356 along directional arrow 314 to form a first deposition layer and then depositing melt blend 302 while moving slot-die 306 or 356 along directional arrow 316 to form an additional deposition layer over the first deposition layer. The alternate deposition may be repeated for a selected number of times to achieve a desired thickness of film 308.

In some embodiments, film 308 cools to form coating 309 as a solid on the substrate. For many applications, coating 309 can be a continuous, solid-phase, hydrogel precursor network that is cohesive with and at least partially integrated into substrate 310. In some embodiments, film 308 and/or coating 309 is dried to remove solvent and/or residual water. Apparatus 300 can be used in the formation of a hydrogel precursor patch composition comprising coating 309 on substrate 310. In some embodiments, the formed structure with hydrogel precursor patch composition on the substrate is cut into individual patches and stored in moisture-controlled packaging.

Fig. 4A is an embodiment of a roll slot-die coating apparatus 400 having substrate roll 402 from which substrate 404 is moved under slot-die 405 by belt 401 which moves at a selected rate. Belt 401 can be any convenient conveyor system and can be replaced with a series of rollers or the like. Vessel 406 holds precursor blend 408, which can be a melt blend or an inert organic solvent solution. Precursor blend 408 may be a neat mixture of precursors. Alternatively, precursor blend 408 may have one or more additional components to modify the viscosity, such as solvents. Vessel 406 may be capable of mixing and/or heating precursor blend 408 prior to delivery of precursor blend 408 through slot-die 405 to form film 410 on substrate 404. Coating apparatus 400 may use additional equipment, such as filters, pumps, pulsation dampeners, degasification units, and flow regulators between vessel 406 and slot die 405. In some embodiments, film 410 can be a continuous liquid film, as deposited. Slot-die 405 can have various head sizes and viscosity ratings and stripe pattern options. The width of film 410 can be varied by the choice of slot-die 405. In some embodiments, film 410 has a width from 1 cm to 10 cm. Slot-die 405 may be used to control the rate of deposition of precursor blend 408 onto substrate 404 which affects the thickness of film 410. In some embodiments, slot-die 405 may be used to control the rate of deposition of precursor blend 408 and to inject precursor blend 408 into substrate 404. To perform the injection of precursor blend 408, substrate 404 is moved under slot die 405, with slot die 405 compressing substrate 404 at the injection location, such as shown in Fig. 3B. The force applied to substrate 404 via slot die 405, the depth of compression of slot die 405 into substrate 404, and/or the rate of deposition can be adjusted to tailor the cohesive hydrogel precursor network that is formed. In some embodiments, the depth of compression is from about 0.02 mm to 2 mm, in further embodiments from about 0.05 mm to about 1 mm, in some embodiment from about 0.1 mm to about 0.8 mm and in additional embodiments from about 0.2 mm to about 0.75 mm. In other embodiments, the depth of compression is from about 5% to about 30% or from about 5% to about 15% of the thickness of the substrate prior to coating. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of substrate compression within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. The rate of translation of belt 401 can also be adjusted to affect the thickness of film 410. Film 410 may formed from a single deposition layer of precursor blend 408 or multiple deposition layers of precursor blend 408.

In some embodiments, film 410 cools to form coating 412. In general, coating 412 is a cohesive solid coating, although portions of the substrate can remain uncoated if desired, and the coating can have cracks. Film 410 and/or coating 412 can be dried to remove solvent and/or residual water. Coating apparatus 400 forms a hydrogel precursor patch sheet comprising coating 412 on substrate 404. In some embodiments, cutting unit 414 is used to cut the hemostatic patch sheet into patch 416. Patch 416 can then be placed into water resistant package 418.

Fig. 4B is an outline of process 430 for improving the medical patch properties by using a two-step compression process. In process 430, calender substrate 434 is a first compression step. Following the step of applying precursor onto the substrate as a melt 438, a second compression step, calender coated substrate 442, is performed. Of course, other process steps can be assembled around the explicit steps of Fig. 4B, such as additional calendering steps, cutting steps, drying, sterilizing, packaging and other appropriate process steps.

The methods and structures described herein improve the properties of medical patches by contributing to the preparation of the substrate for receiving the precursor composition. The step calender substrate 434 can facilitate a more consistent application of precursor onto the substrate as a melt 438, and generally also for nonaqueous solution coating, while maintaining a relatively stiff substrate for performing the coating. In general, the step calender substrate 434 can lessen the thickness variability of the substrate and can also introduce mild fracturing of the cell structure of the substrate. The mild fracturing can improve the penetration of the precursor into the substrate while maintaining an appropriate stiffness of the substrate, for example, to avoid buckling or warping of the substrate during and/or after the step applying precursor onto substrate as a melt 438. The step calender substrate 434 can reduce the thickness of the substrate by up to 65% in some embodiments. In other embodiments, calender substrate 434 can reduce the thickness of the substrate by 5% to 65%, 10% to 50%, 15% to 40%, or 20% to 40%. In some embodiments, the compression of the substrate induced by calendar substrate 434 is at least partially reversible. In some embodiments, after calender substrate 434 the thickness of the substrate recovers partially from the fully compressed thickness. In some embodiments, the substrate thickness recovery can ultimately result in a final thickness reduction that is 75%, 60%, 50%, 40%, or 25% of the initial thickness reduction. After step calender substrate 434, application of the precursor to the substrate as a melt 438 is performed, with Fig. 4 A showing one embodiment of this step. As noted above, a compression during the hydrogel precursor deposition can be relatively mild and may result in approximately no or little reduction of thickness of the substrate following forming the hydrogel precursor coating. The second compression step, forming calender coated substrate 442, is performed after the precursor coating has been applied to the substrate and solidified. Solidification of the precursor layer can occur relatively quickly by exposure to the ambient or optionally with a cooling step. Calender coated substrate 442 can impart improved flexibility and hemostatic performance to the coated substrate, for example, by introducing appropriately induced fractures into the precursor coating and by introducing additional fractures into the substrate. In general, calender coated substrate 442 can also introduce relatively mild to relatively substantial fracturing of the precursor coating. In some embodiments, the fracturing comprises micro- scale fractures having a range of width, length, and density over the surface, which can be referred to as shattered to reflect changes across the surface. Some of the fractures may be surface fractures and other fractures may have a depth that is similar to the depth of the penetration of the precursor into the substrate.. Calender coated substrate 442 can reduce the thickness of the coated substrate by up to 65% in some embodiments. In other embodiments, calender coated substrate 442 can reduce the thickness of the coated substrate by 5% to 65%, 10% to 50%, 15% to 40%, or 20% to 40%. A person or ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of dimensional changes within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

Steps calender substrate 434 and/or calender coated substrate 442 can change the size, shape, and structure of the cells/pores within the substrate. In general, process 430 collapses the pores and fractures the scaffolding surrounding the pores. While not wanting to be limited by theory, it is believed that the changes in the porosity of the substrate upon compression are related to improved performance of the flexible medical patch. In some embodiments, process 430 imparts substantial flexibility and other performance improvements to the coated substrate.

Fig. 4C is an illustration of process flow 450 of a substrate through a process apparatus for making patch 487 from gelatin sheet 451. The process apparatus may or may not be configured for continuous processing with introduction of a substrate sheet on one end and with patches exiting the other end. To provide for cooling steps, solidifying steps or the like, components of the process apparatus can be correspondingly configured to allow for these steps that may take more time than the active processing steps. Some process components can be configured for continuous performance of a subset of process steps as convenient. Of course, overall a steady state process rate can be achieved allowing for efficient use of process equipment.

In some embodiments, gelatin sheet 451 has a thickness from about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 cm. In process flow 450, gelatin sheet 451 is subjected to thermal crosslinking 452 in oven

453 or other suitable heating device, and a thermal processing unit can also optionally comprise control components. Oven 453 can be any convenient oven or the like that accommodates one or more gelatin sheets 451. In general, gelatin sheet 451 can be any convenient width and length. Thermal crosslinking 452 may be performed at a constant temperature for a selected period of time or may be performed using a selected heating profile. Oven 453 may be optionally integrated with a heater conveyor system (not shown) which can move gelatin sheet 451 at a selected rate to achieve a target time of heating or other targeted heating profile, and a heater conveyor system may or may not interface directly with other process devices.

Referring to Fig. 4C, following thermal crosslinking 452, crosslinked substrate 454 can undergo substrate compression 455. In some embodiments, crosslinked substrate 454 is at room temperature prior to substrate compression 455. In some embodiments, crosslinked substrate

454 has a thickness from about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 cm. Substrate compression 455 is performed using calender rollers 456 and 457. Calendar rollers 456 and 457 are at a selected distance from one another to form gap 458. In general, gap 458 is smaller than the thickness of crosslinked substrate 454. In some embodiments, gap 458 is no more than 65% of the thickness of crosslinked substrate 454. In other embodiments, gap 458 is from 5% to 65%, 10% to 50%, 15% to 40%, or 20% to 40% of the thickness of crosslinked substrate 454. Calender rollers 456 and/or 457 may or may not be heated. Compared to crosslinked substrate 454, compressed substrate 459 has a fractured cell structure instead of an intact cell structure. In general, compressed substrate 459 is thinner and has a more consistent thickness than crosslinked substrate 454. In some embodiments, compressed substrate 459 has a thickness from about 0.25 mm to about 1 cm, from about 0.5 mm to about 7 mm, from about 3 mm to about 6 mm. In some embodiments, substrate compression 455 is integrated with conveyor system 460 having belt 461. Conveyor system 460 can be any convenient conveyor system and belt 461 can be replaced with a series of rollers or the like. In some embodiments, calender roller 457 may be part of conveyor system 460. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of thicknesses and percentages within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

Next, referring to Fig. 4C, compressed substrate 459 undergoes coating 462 using coating apparatus 491. Coating apparatus 491 is analogous to roll slot-die coating apparatus 400 of Fig. 4A except that it is not configured for roll-based substrates. Vessel 463 holds precursor blend 464, which can be a melt blend or an inert organic solvent solution. Precursor blend 464 may be a neat mixture of melted precursors. Alternatively, precursor blend 464 may have one or more additional components to modify the viscosity, such as non-aqueous solvents. Vessel 463 may be capable of mixing and/or heating precursor blend 464 prior to delivery of precursor blend 464 through slot-die 465 to form film 466 on compressed substrate 467. Coating 462 may use additional equipment, such as filters, pumps, pulsation dampeners, degasification units, and flow regulators between vessel 463 and slot die 465. In some embodiments, film 466 can be a continuous liquid film, as deposited. Slot-die 465 can have various head sizes and viscosity ratings and stripe pattern options. Suitable slot-die coaters are commercially available. The width of film 466 can be varied by the choice of slot-die 465, and in general the width can be any reasonable value. In some embodiments, film 466 has a width from 1 cm to 100 cm or in some embodiments from about 2 cm to about 20 cm. Slot-die 465 may be used to control the rate of deposition of precursor blend 464 onto compressed substrate 467 which affects the thickness of film 466. The rate of translation of belt 461 can also be adjusted to affect the thickness of film 466. Film 466 may be formed from a single deposition layer of precursor blend 464 or multiple deposition layers of precursor blend 464. In some embodiments, film 466 is formed as a cohesive hydrogel precursor network. In some embodiments, film 466 is formed by injecting precursor blend 464 into compressed substrate

467 while further compressing compressed substrate 467 at the injection location. In some embodiments, film 466 cools to form coating 468. In general, coating 468 is a continuous solid coating, although portions of the substrate can remain uncoated if desired. Film 466 and/or coating 468 can be dried to remove solvent and/or residual water. In some embodiments coating

468 has a thickness within ranges as described above, which may be penetrating into the compressed substrate. In some embodiments, coating 468 is part of a cohesive hydrogel precursor structure that is at least partially penetrating within compressed substrate 467. In some embodiments, coating 468 is part of a cohesive hydrogel precursor structure having a surface that is coincident with one surface of compressed substrate 467. In some embodiments, cutting unit 469 is used to remove leading portion 470. Removal of leading portion 470 can provide for a more consistent coating on patch 487. Next, coated substrate 471 having coating 472 and compressed substrate 473 undergoes coated substrate compression 476 to form compressed coated substrate 477. Coated substrate compression 476 can be performed using calender rollers 478 and 480. Calendar rollers 478 and 480 are at a selected distance from one another to form gap 481, as shown in Fig. 4D. In general, gap 481 is smaller than the thickness of coated substrate 471. In some embodiments, gap 481 can be no more than 75% of the thickness of coated substrate 471. In other embodiments, gap 481 is from 15% to 70%, 20% to 65%, 22% to 62%, or 30% to 60% of the thickness of coated substrate 471. In some embodiments, compressed coated substrate 477 has a thickness from about 0.3 mm to about 1 cm and in other embodiments from about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm. Calender rollers 478 and/or 480 may or may not be heated. Compressed coated substrate 477 has fractured coating 482 and compressed substrate 483. In general, compressed coated substrate 477 is thinner and more flexible than coated substrate 471. In some embodiments, fractured coating 482 has microfractures of various widths, lengths, and depths essentially across the surface to present a shattered surface. In some embodiments, fractured coating 482 has a relatively consistent ratio of fracture surface area to total surface area across the majority of the surface area. In some embodiments, the edges of fractured coating 482 are different from other regions of fractured coating 482. In some embodiments, fractured coating 482 has a thickness from about from about 0.1 mm to about 8 mm, from about 0.15 mm to about 7 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 5.5 mm, from about 0.25 to about 5 mm, from about 0.35 mm to about 4.5 mm and in some embodiments from about 0.5 mm to about 4 mm. In some embodiments, compressed substrate 483 has a thickness from about 0.1 mm to about 9 mm, from about 0.15 to about 8 mm, from about 0.25 mm to about 6 mm, from about 0.5 mm to about 5.5 mm, from about 0.75 mm to about 5 mm, and from about 1 mm to about 4 mm. In some embodiments, coated substrate compression 476 is integrated with conveyor system 460 having belt 461, which also conveys the substrate through substrate compression 455. In some embodiments, calender roller 480 may be part of conveyor system 460.

Next, flexible hemostatic patch sheet 486 can undergo cutting 484. During cutting 484, cutting unit 485 is used to cut flexible hemostatic patch sheet 486 into patch 487, which can involve cutting with respect to length and/or width. During optional packaging 488, patch 487 is placed into water resistant package 490.

Processing can take place in a controlled atmosphere, such as under dried nitrogen, other inert gas or the like. After forming the patch, it can be packaged under dry inert gas into a moisture resistant package, such as a polymer and/or foil pouch, or the like. The patch can be heated, such as from 40°C to 90°C, to induce further drying. The package can comprise a packet if desiccant inside to help maintain dryness. The Patch can be sterilized, for example using radiation after packaging. Sterilization can be under conditions that do not induce significant amounts of crosslinking. The packaging is appropriately labeled under regulatory guidelines for medical use and marked with an expiration date.

Storage of the patch is generally performed in the moisture resistant packaging. In some embodiments, the patches are heat sealed into a foil pouch. To increase storage time, it can be desirable to store the patch under refrigerated conditions. In general, the patches can be stored at temperatures of no more than about 5°C, or at standard refrigerator temperatures, which perhaps range from 1°C to 7°C, although lower temperatures can be used as desired. For shorter term storage, the patches can be stored at room temperature. At refrigerated temperatures, the patches can be stored for at least 2 months, in further embodiments at least one year, in additional embodiments from three months to 3 years, and in some embodiments form 6 months to 2.5 years. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of storage temperatures and times within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. Patches that have exceeded their shelf life can be identified by lack of sufficient adhesion due to premature crosslinking or due to premature hydrolysis that removed the electrophilic groups for crosslinking.

Biologies and drugs

The patches can comprise a biologic in addition to an optional visualization agent. Optional biologies or drugs can be, for example, an agent to promote blood clotting and/or healing. Thrombin can be added to the patch, although good hemostatic function has been obtained without complications of adding a blood product into the patch composition. With rapidly resorbing patch materials, the patch can degrade prior to any significant concerns regarding adhesion formation or microbial contamination. However, antimicrobial agents can be added if desired. In further embodiments, a therapeutic agent can comprise an analgesic, an anesthetic, a steroid, an antibiotic, a steroid, an anti-infective, an anti-inflammatory drug, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, an anti-proliferative, or combinations thereof. These modalities can be used effectively for local drug delivery by virtue of the patch providing local adherence as well as a depot for the added drug or biologically active agent.

Use and Medical Indications for the Patches

The medical patches described herein are particularly helpful for use as hemostatic patches. Hemostatic patches are applied with compressive force over a site with minimal, mild or moderate bleeding with the objective of stopping the bleeding. The patches may or may not include therapeutics, such as compounds to promote clotting, and the examples demonstrate effective hemostasis without any bioactive agents. The patches can be used more generally in contact with exposed tissue without necessarily attending to control of significant bleeding, such as for surgical closure applications. Activation of crosslinking of the patch is induced in contact with any biological fluid. With appropriate substrates and thicknesses, the patches can be relatively flexible and conformable even when dry, and this feature can be exploited for certain applications.

Generally, the patches can be delivered directly onto a wound site, such as in an open surgical procedure. In alternative embodiments, patches can be used in laparoscopic procedures since the patches are flexible sufficiently for delivery through a trocar. While the patches can be conveniently applied over a wound with the hydrogel precursor layer facing toward the wound, alternatively, the patch can be folded, for example with the hydrogel precursor side outward, and inserted into the wound such that the patch fills the wound.

To provide further patch delivery options, Fig. 13A shows patch 750 which has been folded into a loose accordion shape. Fig. 13B illustrates process 800 in which accordion-folded patch 801 is introduced into cannula 803 via forceps 805. Process 800 can be used to direct accordion-folded patch 801 to a treatment site. Fig. 13C shows an embodiment in which patch 806 has been accordion folded and then widthwise folded. Fig. 13D illustrates process 810 in which accordion-folded and widthwise folded patch 812 is introduced into cannula 814 via forceps 816. Process 810 can be used to direct accordion-folded and widthwise folded patch 812 to a treatment site. In some embodiments, process 800/810 can be used to pre-load cannula 803/814 for future use. In some embodiments, process 800/810 can be used to pre-load cannula 803/814 for packaging as a “pre-loaded” patch. In some embodiments, process 800/810 can be used with a tubular applicator in the place of cannula 803/814. Patch 750 and patch 806 each provide a more compact shape than a flat patch, which can be convenient for certain applications, such as laproscopic surgical applications.

Fig. 14 is an illustration of patch delivery for use in a laparoscopic procedure 820 in which accordion-folded patch 824 has been introduced into laproscopic site 831 via cannula 826 using forceps 828. Forceps 830 has been introduced into laproscopic site 831 via cannula 834. Forceps 830 can help guide accordion-folded patch 824 to treatment site 838. In some embodiments, treatment site 838 can be a wound site or a surgical site ready for closure. In some embodiments, accordion-folded patch 824 can be used in laparoscopic procedure 820 to provide hemostasis. In some embodiments, the coating of accordion-folded patch 824 may be cracked at the fold lines. In some embodiments, cracks in the coating of accordion-folded patch 824 may extend to the substrate surface. In general, accordion-folded patch 824 can self- heal cracks due to swelling when hydrated by the fluids at the treatment site.

The hemostatic patch can also be ground up or shredded as desired to use as a filler either separately or in conjunction with another patch or a portion of a patch. The shredded patch formulation or analogous granular compositions described above can be dispensed via a cannula attached to a bellows type device. Such a formulation can be useful for sealing or controlling bleeding from broad oozing surfaces of tissues.

In some embodiments, the patch can be moistened with sterile aqueous solution, such as saline or water- for-inj ection shortly prior to application to the tissue, to initiate hydration. Generally, the patch is applied to a tissue with a sterile gauze pad or the like over the surface of the patch to facilitate the application process, and as used herein a gauze pad refers to a pad of any non-adhesive absorbent material. Roughly even pressure can be applied to the patch using the gauze pad for a period of time to allow adherence. The selected time is generally at least about 5 seconds, in further embodiments at least about 8 seconds, in some embodiments from about 10 seconds to about 4 minutes, and in other embodiments from about 12 seconds to about 2 minutes. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of time within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. The placement of the patch can comprise the use of a single patch or placement of a plurality of medical patches on the bleeding defect. Additional medical patches can be overlapping at least a portion of a first medical patches.

With respect to wounds, bleeding can be stopped through the use of the patch in a process referred to as hemostasis. Hemostasis involves coagulation such that bleeding stops, and it can be considered the first stage of wound healing. Following hemostasis, no more blood is exiting the wound. Using the patches described herein, generally hemostasis can be achieved within about 5 minutes and in some embodiments in no longer than 3 minutes. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of hemostasis time within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure.

Specific uses of interest include applying the patch to a wound on or into an organ, or on a blood vessel. Broadly, hemostasis can involve any wound repair, although the degree of bleeding can vary significantly. The patches described herein can be used in the context of any degree of bleeding, but as demonstrated in the examples, they can be effective with heavy bleeding. In the context of surgical procedures, the patches can be used for placement in procedures involving blood vessels, the liver, intestines, uterus, pancreas, other organs, orthopedic applications, such as bones and connective tissues, or generally any surgical wounds, as well as wounds occurring from injuries. In some embodiments, the patch can be placed along skin for closure of a wound at the surface of the patient or for closing a surgical intervention.

While generally any tissue wound can be effectively covered with the patches described herein, the patches can be particularly effective for covering wounds in organs, which are prone to significant bleeding. Suitable organs include, for example, a bone, a gland, a digestive organ, a pulmonary organ, a urinary organ, a reproductive organ, a vessel, an interface with a natural or synthetic graft, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the organ is an artery or a vein, and the organ generally can be natural, grafted, or a combination thereof. In particular, the patch can be applied to a bleeding defect. The bleeding defect can be, for example, a suture line, a puncture wound, a bullet wound, a cavity, a gouge, a biopsy punch hole, a graft interface, or a combination thereof. The placement of the patch or patches can comprise placing the one or more medical patches on the bleeding defect in a non-flat geometry, which is often dictated by the shape of the organ. The placement of the patch can comprise wrapping the one or more medical patches around the organ. The extent of bleeding from an organ can be evaluated based on a Spot Grade bleeding score or other validated bleeding scale.

In some embodiments, the patch itself can be wrapped in a pre-folded form, such as depicted in Figs. 13A and 13C, or in a “pre-loaded” form allowing for deployment from a tubular applicator using a mandrel or plunger like mechanism to express the patch near the treatment site. Preloading of the patch serves for laproscopic applications where insertion through narrow tubular entryways is involved, and the patch can be further moved to the site of hemostasis upon introduction through laproscopic manipulators, which can also apply pressure to hold the patch against the wound. In other embodiments, a preloaded configuration deposits a wrapped patch or a cylindrical shaped patch that can be delivered into defects such as bullet wounds or puncture wounds where hemostasis by a flat substrate geometry is less ideal. In more embodiments, a preformed patch-mandrel relationship may provide for a delivery for a geometry less ideal for hemostasis using a flat patch, in which the mandrel surface has a desired shape for conforming the patch to the wound.

One application envisioned is a conical preformed shape of a patch mated to a cone shaped mandrel for creating hemostasis following loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) of cervical tissue. In this circumstance the shape of the mandrel and pre-shaped patch act to fill the irregular conical depression left from the LEEP procedure, and the mandrel can be removed after the patch had adhered and reached hemostasis. Figs. 12A and 12B illustrate one embodiment of the above application. Fig. 12A shows conical shaped hemostatic patch 700 placed into cervix 704 using cone shaped mandrel 702. Fig. 12B shows hemostatic patch 710 installed within cervix 704. The left inset shows cone shaped mandrel 702 providing pressure to the conical shaped hemostatic patch within cervix 704. The right inset shows that cone shaped mandrel 702 has been removed and installed hemostatic patch 710 has adhered to the irregular conical depression of the cervical tissue. For this and similar shaped embodiments, the patch can be heated to soften the precursor layer for shaping to a mandrel or just molded otherwise to a desired shape. If cooled on the mandrel, the shape can be essentially maintained for deployment.

In more embodiments, the patch is soft and conforming, through processing or prewetting, and can be applied for additional gynecological applications. Certain embodiments use a conformable patch for the cessation of bleeding on uterine resections following Cesarean section delivery. In additional applications, a softened patch can be applied transcervically for the stasis of post-partum hemorrhaging. Post-partum hemorrhage can be a significantly concerning condition resulting in rapid blood loss by the mother leading to lowered blood pressure and shock, potentially followed by death. In some circumstances, following failed therapeutic treatment and manual compression to cease hemorrhaging, a softened patch able to be delivered transvaginal / transcervical and conform to irregular intrauterine surfaces, removes the need for more extreme outcomes of surgical intervention, hysterectomy or death. Ideally, rapid hemostasis within 1-2 minutes by a patch would be followed by rapid resorption to reduce interference with any additional future medical diagnoses. Multiple patches may be employed until hemostasis is achieved.

While in some embodiments, the patch is wet shortly before delivery to the application site, the placing of a patch or patches can be performed without pre- wetting the one or more medical patches. In some embodiments, placement of one or more patches comprises wetting the one or more medical patches with unbuffered water or unbuffered saline prior to placing and/or after placing. Whether or not the patch is pre- wet, the patch hydrates relatively quickly. As the precursors crosslink to form the hydrogel, the precursor layer becomes adhesive to the application site. Generally, the precursor layer hydrates and adheres to the organ or other tissue in no more than about 2 minutes.

Ocular applications may involve patches with substrates that serve to prevent adhesion of the reacting precursors to the applicator or user during application to the wet ocular surface. In certain embodiments, the substrate rapidly dissolves, or is removable, such that it is present only long enough to prevent adherence during application. In other embodiments, the substrate is non resorbable, continues to provide structural support to the blended melt precursors, and is removed after application of the precursors. One can envision ocular applications of a premixed precursor melt containing therapeutics for the treatment of ocular surface conditions (such as to control post surgical pain) and/or treatments to the anterior chamber of the eye. In such embodiments, a releasable backing may be used to apply melted precursors plus therapeutic to the fornix of the eye, then removed following onset of crosslinking. In certain cases, melt blend of precursors may be less compatible to the substrate to reduce adhesion to the substrate during application. In other circumstances, the melt precursors are previously formed, cut to insert shape, and the substrate backing added afterwards or only prior to application. In cases where the substrate is added after creating of the unreacted blend, a binder such as a low Mw PEG liquid may be used to enhance the attachment of the melt blended precursors to said substrate during storage or just prior to application. One embodiment may include a melt precursor wafer attached to a disposable applicator substrate that can be patient administered to the fornix of the eye and then disposed.

From this embodiment, a variety of therapeutics may be delivered in sufficiently large quantities for potentially shorter periods of time under patient self-administration. Larger therapeutic loading enables use of a wider variety of drug substances with lower potency. High potency candidates is a restriction for ocular implants constrained to small volume applications such as punctal plugs, anterior, posterior and suprachoroidal injections. One example would be the use of NSAIDs or bupivacaine for topical fornix delivery instead of highly potent corticosteroids that have potential off target issues such as increased intraocular pressure resulting from extended use. In these embodiments, the removal of the need for only highly potent therapeutics opens up ocular applications to the front of the eye such as treatment of pain inflammation, dry eye, infection and such.

In a surgical context, the patch generally provides desired burst strength, but suture can be also applied if desired, such as dissolving suture. For degradable patches, the applied patches can be sealed within the patient and left to safely degrade at an appropriate time for hemostatic stabilization. Generally, there is no need to intervene further with the patch, although in rare instances, supplemental attention can be applied to the wound. For in vivo use, the patches generally resorb through degradation into the body for removal, generally through the kidneys, completely within 28 days, in further embodiments within 21 days, and in additional embodiments from 7 days to 14 days. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that additional ranges of time within the explicit ranges above are contemplated and are within the present disclosure. In alternative embodiments, the patch can be designed with the hydrogel being essentially non-resorbable such that it can persist for extended period of time.

Fig. 5 is an illustration of hemostatic patch 501 wrapped around a tubular organ 504. In some embodiments, tubular organ 504 is an artery or a vein. Wrapped hemostatic patch 501 may have tail 506 formed by connecting the two ends of hemostatic patch 501. Hemostatic patch 501 may be dry prior to wrapping or pre-wetted. Examples 5 and 6 exemplify wrapping of a suture line on a femoral artery with hemostatic patch 501. Example 6 exemplifies the wrapping of hemostatic patch 501 using a bilayer of wetted gauze and hemostatic patch 501. As exemplified in Example 5, a hemostatic patch may be placed on a tubular organ and/or a tubular graft without wrapping. Example 6 exemplifies a non-wrapping process that uses discshaped hemostatic patches to establish hemostasis in cavity-type bone defects.

Fig. 6 is an illustration of hemostatic patch 512 placed on non-tubular organ 514. Examples 3 and 4 exemplify placement of hemostatic patch 512 on liver defects including concave and convex defect surfaces. Fig. 7 is an illustration of hemostatic patch 518 placed on skin 520.

Figs. 8A-8D illustrate the method of action of the hemostatic patch. Fig. 8A shows bleeding defect 600 of tissue 604 from which blood 606 is flowing. Fig. 8B shows hemostatic patch 607 placed on tissue 604. Hemostatic patch 607 is placed with substrate 608 facing away from bleeding defect 600 and melt blend layer 610 facing bleeding defect 600. Blood 612 from bleeding defect 600 wicks into hemostatic patch 607 allowing the precursors in melt blend layer 610 to dissolve and interact to form crosslinked hydrogel layer 616 (Fig. 8C). In some embodiments, melt blend layer 610 reacts to form crosslinked hydrogel layer 616 within 30 seconds after placement of hemostatic patch 607 on bleeding defect 600. Fig. 8C also shows that substrate 618 conforms to allow hemostatic patch 620 to adhere to tissue 622 and seal bleeding defect 600 to result in hemostatic defect 624. Fig. 8D shows healed tissue 626, with hemostatic patch 620 having been absorbed.

EXAMPLES

Examples 1-8 are directed to the general formation of the hydrogel precursor layer and to the demonstration of hemostatic efficacy for several model systems. Example 9 is directed to evaluation of properties of compressed substrates and to formation of patches and properties of the resulting patches. Example 1: Preparation of Hemostatic Patch Samples

This example describes the preparation of hemostatic patch samples.

Hemostatic patch samples were prepared by melt coating a dry blend of two hydrogel precursors onto a porcine gelatin substrate. Various gelatin/collagen substrates as shown in Table 1 were prepared. Each substrate was crosslinked, with light crosslinking referring to less than about 20% crosslinking and high crosslinking referring to more than about 20% crosslinking. Substrates A, B, and D were characterized by having small (micron-sized or smaller) pores and a porosity of greater than 80% as measured by mercury intrusion porosimetry. Each substrate was prepared for coating by drying in an oven under ambient air at a temperature of 35°C for 18 hours or until the relative humidity of the oven was less than 5%. The thickness of the gelatin substrate after drying was approximately the same as the thickness before drying. For each patch sample, the first hydrogel precursor was an eight-armed polyethylene glycol-based precursor having a 15,000 Da molecular weight and succinimidyl glutarate (SG) functional end groups (8A15k PEG SG, Jenkemusa). The second hydrogel precursor was an eight-armed polyethylene glycol-based precursor having a 20,000 Da molecular weight and HCl-salted amine functional end groups (8A20k PEG amine-HCl, Jenkemusa). The first and second precursors were measured in powder form and then melt blended in a glove box with a trace amount of FD&C Blue#l in a heated roller system at a temperature greater than 45 °C. The melted precursor blend was delivered to a liquid dispensing system (Vulcan™ Jet Dispenser, Nordson). A single coating layer of the melt blend was applied to the dry gelatin substrate, in inert gas conditions, at a width of 0.5mm per pass and a line speed of 50 mm/second until the overall width of the coating was approximately 20 cm. The thickness of the coating was approximately 0.25mm. The mixed precursor-coated substrate was allowed to solidify at room temperature in inert gas conditions. The thickness of the resulting coated substrate was measured to be approximately 1.25mm. The coated substrate was cut into individual hemostatic patches with dimensions of about 2x4 cm and packaged in a foil container or in single-use pouches, both designed to keep the starting relative humidity of the inert gas in the container below about 20 ppm. Commercial medical packaging that would be suitable include Amcor PerfecFlex 35772-E or Paxxus Symphony 26-1010. The patches were sterilized after packaging. The mixed precursor-coated side ("active face") of each patch was identified by its blue coloration, which was absent from the substrate backing on the opposite side of each patch. TABLE 1

Example 2: In Vitro Testing of Hemostatic Patch Samples and Substrates

This example evaluated gel time, burst pressure, swelling, and persistence of a set of hemostatic patches prepared according to Example 1. This example also evaluated swelling and persistence of substrates.

Part A. Test Samples and Testing Procedures. Hemostatic test patches prepared according to Example 1 using substrate type A ("Test Patch A") were used in this study. Separately, (uncoated) samples of Substrate A and Substrate D, having low and high crosslinking, respectively, were also tested. Individual samples for testing were cut from a single piece of Test Patch A or a single piece of Substrate A or Substrate D. The test methods used in this example are described in the above "Hydrogel and Patch Properties" section.

Part B. Substrate Testing.

Samples of Substrate A were evaluated for swelling. Samples of Substrate A were weighed and then immersed in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution maintained at 37°C for a selected period of time. Tables 2-4 show the swelling of the samples at 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 2 minutes, respectively. The swelling of the samples at 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 2 minutes was on average 814 wt%, 973 wt% and 1053 wt%, respectively. The results show that biocompatible substrates can be prepared to have a high rate of swelling and a high degree of swelling at 30 seconds. TABLE 2

TABLE 3

TABLE 4 Samples of Substrates A and D were evaluated for persistence in a PBS solution. The samples were immersed in a PBS solution maintained at 37°C. Samples were visually evaluated after 67 hours (2.8 days), 96 hours (4.0 days), and 114 hours (4.8 days). As shown in Table 5, each of the Substrate A samples (Samples 1-10) were observed to have partially persisted after 67 hours. Samples 1-10 were not visible at 96 hours, indicating that the persistence window for Substrate A was between about 2.8 and about 4 days. Each of the Substrate B samples (Samples 11-15) were observed to have persisted after 114 hours.

The results shows that substrate persistence in a simulated in vivo environment can be well-controlled via substrate processing. The results also show that biocompatible, absorbable substrates with high rates and overall amounts of water absorption have been prepared and that these high absorbance substrates can be designed to persist within a controlled window of time.

TABLE 5 Part C. Patch Testing.

Patch samples were cut from a single 2x4 cm piece of Test Patch A into 8 mm discs using an 8 mm biopsy punch.

Gel times of patch samples were evaluated with a commercial texture analyzer as described in the above "Hydrogel and Patch Properties" section. Fig. 11 shows a typical force versus time plot for a patch sample evaluated immediately after activation with a pH 8 buffer solution. The arrow in Fig. 11 indicates the time that corresponds with the lowest force on the plot. The gel time for this sample was measured to be 25 seconds.

After gel time testing, patch samples were tested for burst pressure. Table 6 shows burst pressure results. Sample 1 was recorded as having a burst pressure of 0 which indicates that the sample was not adhered to the test block after gel testing. Samples 2-5 had burst pressures from 10 mm Hg to 65 mm Hg. Samples 6-10 had burst pressures greater than 140 mm Hg, with sample 9 having a burst pressure of 188.2 mm Hg. Table 6 also shows the mass of the patch samples prior to burst testing and after burst. The swelling of the patch samples during burst testing ranged from about 340% to about 510%.

TABLE 6

After burst testing, patch samples were evaluated for persistence and swelling from the hydrated state following the burst test. The results are summarized in Table 7. Samples 1-5 were immersed in a PBS solution maintained at 37 °C. These samples swelled 203 wt% on average over 24 hours. With this swelling following the hydration achieved at the conclusion of the burst test, the cumulative swelling from a dry state for patch samples 1-5 after about 24 hours was determined to be from 1412% to 1903%. Samples 1-5 were not visible after 114 hours (4.8 days). Samples 6-10 were immersed in a PBS solution maintained at 50°C. In this accelerated aging study, each of the samples had virtually disappeared at 24 hours.

TABLE 7

"x" indicates that the sample had virtually disappeared

The results show that biocompatible, absorbable patches with gel times of less than 30 seconds and burst pressures that exceed 140 mm Hg have been prepared. These patches also have been shown to have relatively high rates of swelling and overall degree of swelling yet a relatively short persistence of less than about 5 days. The results show that the test patches had similar persistence as compared to the isolated substrate (Substrate A). The results suggest that the precursor layer and the substrate can be tailored such that the persistence of both the resulting hydrogel layer and the substrate are similar. Alternatively, the precursor layer and/or the substrate can be tailored such that either the resulting hydrogel layer or the substrate has a shorter persistence time.

Example 3: Liver Defect Study 1 (With Comparative Examples)

This example evaluated a hemostatic patch prepared according to Example 1 for hemostasis in a porcine liver defect model. Comparisons were made to a commercially available fibrin sealant patch. Part A. Test and Control Patches. Three hemostatic test patches prepared according to Example 1 using substrate type A ("Test Patch A"), substrate type B ("Test Patch B"), and substrate C ("Test Patch C"), respectively, were used in this study. A comparative fibrin sealant patch ("Control Patch A") from Baxter (TachoSil® Fibrin Sealant Patch, 0.5 cm x 4.8 cm, Product Code 1144922) was purchased. Each patch was trimmed to approximately 2x2 cm size for application. The active face of the test patches was blue in color and the active face of the control patch was yellow in color.

Part B. Animal Defect Model Preparation. A single acute (Yorkshire) pig was opened along the anterior (ventral) midline and the liver isolated. The animal had the following specifics: weight (48.2kg); sex (M); anticoagulation (ACT: 242). ACT was recorded prior to the first placement. Defects were created in both the left and right medial lobes of the liver. An 8mm biopsy punch was used to penetrate the liver to a depth of approximately 4mm. Metzenbaum scissors were then used to remove the plug created by the punch. At this point, bleeding was assessed using the Adam's scale, which is described in Adams et al, Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis (2009) 28:1-5 (DOI 10.1007/s 11239-008-2049-3), herein incorporated by reference. A target bleeding score of >3 per the Adam’s scale was desired, (see Fig. 9). If the target score was not achieved, the biopsy punch was used to penetrate the liver again until the target score was attained. The bleeding score of the defect created for each trial was recorded as the initial score, as shown in Tables 8 and 9. The Test Patch A bleeding defects were severe (trials 2-1 and 2-2), moderate (trial 2-3), and slight (trial 2-4). The Control Patch A bleeding defects were severe (trials 2-1C and 2-2C), slight (trial 2-3C), and slight/moderate (trial 2-4C). The defect site bleeding was managed with clean, dry gauze prior to patch placement.

TABLE 8 TABLE 9

* There was puffiness under the patch.

Part C. Patch Evaluation Procedures and Results. A clean gauze was wetted using clean, sterile saline. A Test Patch A sample was placed backing down on wetted gauze such that the active face of the patch faced away from the gauze, although in general use the patch can be placed without the gauze to facilitate proper placement and then then gauze can be used to maintain some pressure while the patch is adhering. The gauze being used to manage the defect site bleeding was removed from the defect site. The patch was immediately placed over the defect site such that the active side of the patch was in contact with the defect and centered over the defect to the extent possible. With an open hand, firm and even pressure was applied with wet gauze to the backside of the patch and held for 1 minute (first interval). Then, the pressure was slowly reduced and the gauze was carefully removed from the backside surface of the applied patch. If there was any adherence of the gauze to the patch, a clean surgical instrument was gently applied to the edge of the patch or gentle irrigation was used to dissociate the gauze from the patch while minimizing disturbance. After a 30 second evaluation period, a 1 minute bleeding score was recorded based on the Adam’s scale, as shown in Table 8. Then the wet gauze was again used to apply firm and even pressure to the backside of the patch for an additional 2 minutes. Again, the pressure was slowly reduced and the gauze was carefully removed from the backside surface of the applied patch. After a 30 second evaluation period, a 3 minute bleeding score was recorded based on the Adam’s scale, as shown in Table 8. Then, a pair of forceps was used to gently pick at the edges of patch to test for adherence. The procedure was repeated with three additional defects for a total of four trials with Test Patch A. All of the test patch samples adhered well to the target site and were unaffected by the removal of the wetted gauze. Additionally, the edges of the test patch samples could not be pulled-up when pulled/picked at with a forceps. No weeping through any of the test patch samples was observed. The results show that all trials with Test Patch A achieved hemostasis within 1 minute after placement.

The above procedure was repeated for Control Patch A with some modifications. For Control Patch A Trials 2-3 and 2-4, the target bleeding score was lowered from >3 to >2 because of the poor performance of the control samples in trials 2-1C and 2-2C. The results are shown in Table 9. For Control Patch A Trial 2-4C at 3 minutes after placement, the bleeding score was recorded as 0, yet there was puffiness under the patch. When pressed, blood came from beneath the patch and the bleeding continued. This trial was considered to be non-hemostatic. The results show that none of the trials with Control Patch A achieved hemostasis at 3 minutes after placement in spite of the lowering of the target bleeding score for the second two trials. Furthermore, it was observed that the Control Patch A samples did not adhere to the target site and were easily dislodged. During the removal of the wetted gauze, extreme care was required not to disturb the patch from the placement site.

Test Patch B and Test Patch C were evaluated on the liver defects created for Control Patch A Trials 2-2C and 2-3C, respectively, after these control patch samples continued to allow severe or slight bleeding, respectively, at 3 minutes. The two test patch samples were able to restore hemostasis within 1 to 3 minutes, as shown in Table 10. Initial placement of Test Patch B was not centered on the defect. A second Test Patch B was placed on the defect at 1 minute after the initial placement. Hemostasis was achieved at 3 minutes after initial placement, corresponding to 2 minutes after the second placement.

TABLE 10

* Initial placement was not centered on wound and a second Test Patch B was placed at 1 minute.

Part D. Additional Patch Evaluation. Test Patch A was additionally evaluated using a non-flat placement into a defect created using a scalpel on the surface of the liver. The channeltype defect was about 3mm deep and about 5mm long. Test Patch A was cut to a 2x4 cm size, wetted with saline, folded in half lengthwise and then placed within the defect. Fig. 10A shows Test Patch A after initial placement. Pressure was applied to the test patch sample using a wetted piece of gauze. Hemostasis was achieved at 1 minute in locations where the test patch was touching the defect, as shown in Fig. 10B. Fig. 10B also shows continued bleeding from an area of the defect that was not in contact with the test patch.

This example shows that the hemostatic patch prepared according to Example 1 significantly outperformed a commercially available fibrin sealant patch at achieving hemostasis at both 1 minute and 3 minutes after placement on a porcine liver defect. The reactive precursors in the hemostatic patch allowed for flat and non-flat placements and for a short period of manual compression after placement, resulting in a fast, adaptable, and easy to use patch for slight to severe bleeding defects of the liver.

Example 4: Liver Defect Study 2 (With Comparative Examples)

This example evaluated a hemostatic patch prepared according to Example 1 for hemostasis in a porcine liver defect model. Comparisons were made to a commercially available fibrin sealant patch.

Part A. Test and Control Patch. A set of hemostatic test patches prepared according to Example 1 using substrate type A ("Test Patch A") were used in this study. A comparative sealant patch embedded with human fibrinogen and human thrombin ("Control Patch B") from Johnson and Johnson (Evarrest® Fibrin Sealant Patch, 5.1 cm x 10.2 cm, Product Code EVT5024) was purchased. Each patch was trimmed to approximately 2x2 cm size for application. The active face of the test patches was blue in color and the active face of the control patch was yellow in color.

Part B. Animal Defect Model Preparation. A single acute (Yorkshire) pig was opened along the anterior (ventral) midline and the liver isolated. The animal had the following specifics: weight (57.4 kg); sex (F); anticoagulation (ACT: 294). ACT was recorded prior to the first placement. Defects were created in both the left and right medial lobes of the liver. An 8mm biopsy punch was used to penetrate the liver to a depth of approximately 4mm. Metzenbaum scissors were then used to remove the plug created by the punch. At this point, bleeding was assessed. A target of >3 per the Adam’s scale was desired, (see Fig. 9). If the target score was not achieved, the biopsy punch was used to penetrate the liver again until the target score was attained. The bleeding score of the defect created for each trial was recorded as the initial score, as shown in Tables 11 and 12. All of the Test Patch A bleeding defects were severe. The Control Patch B bleeding defects were moderate (trial 3-1C) or severe (trials 3-2C, 3-3C, and 3-4C). The defect site bleeding was managed with clean, dry gauze. TABLE 11

TABLE 12

** Patch subsequently fell off and wound required retreatment.

Part C. Patch Evaluation Procedures and Results. The procedure described in Example 2, Part C was followed for this example with the modification that a first scoring after 30 seconds was performed. All of the Test Patch A samples adhered well to the target site and were unaffected by the removal of the wetted gauze. Additionally, the edges of the Test Patch A samples could not be pulled-up when pulled/picked at with a forceps. No weeping through any of the Test Patch A samples was observed. As shown in Table 11, all trials with Test Patch A achieved hemostasis within 30 seconds after placement.

The results for Control Patch B are shown in Table 12. Only one Control Patch B sample (Control Patch B Trial 3-4C) achieved hemostasis after 3 minutes. However, later in the study, the patch became dislodged and bleeding resumed. The dislodged patch was later located in the chest cavity. The other three Control Patch B trials showed oozing (Control Patch B Trials 3-1C and 3-2C) or moderate bleeding (Control Patch B Trial 3-3C) at the 3 minute mark. During the removal of the wetted gauze, extreme care was required not to disturb the control patch. When evaluated at the 3-minute mark, it was observed that Control Patch B had adhered to the wound only in places that were actively bleeding. The control patch area that extended beyond the wound was not adhered to the tissue and remained as a loose/uplifted flap.

Part D. Additional Patch Evaluation. Test Patch A was additionally evaluated using multiple, non-flat (convex) placements onto a partially resected liver lobe. The placements were a pre- wetted 2x4 cm patch, a 2x4 cm dry patch, and a 2x2 cm dry patch. It was observed that the application of pressure to the dry patches was less difficult as compared to pre-wetted the pre- wetted patch since there was less slipping. Hemostasis of the entire defect was achieved after all three patches were placed. Each placement achieved hemostasis of the area in contact with the respective patch.

This example shows that the hemostatic patch prepared according to Example 1 significantly outperformed a commercially available fibrin/thrombin sealant patch at achieving hemostasis for moderate to severe bleeds at 30 seconds, 1 minute, and 3 minutes after placement on a porcine liver defect. In spite of the fibrin/thrombin sealant patch having a reactive species (thrombin), this patch did not actually seal the wound as the hemostatic patch did. Pick tests at edges of the hemostatic patch showed no delamination, whereas the fibrin/thrombin patches were only attached at the wound site. There was a dislodgement of the control patch in two of the four trials.

Example 5: Cardiovascular Defect Study

This example evaluated a hemostatic patch prepared according to Example 1 for hemostasis after various placements in a porcine cardiovascular defect model.

Part A. Test Patch. A set of hemostatic patches prepared according to Example 1 using substrate type A ("Test Patch A") were used in this study. All placements were done with the patch dry. The patches were made flexible after placement either by hydrating with saline directly to the patch or by applying pressure with a pre-wet gauze.

Part B. Animal Defect Model Initial Preparation. A single female, 60kg, acute (Yorkshire) pig was used in this study. An incision was made in the skin over the ventral midline of the neck to expose the carotid artery. Blunt dissection was performed through underlying subcutaneous tissue and musculature. The muscles were retracted and the fascia around the target vessel was dissected from the vessel surface. Side branches of the vessels were ligated using silk suture material and clips. After obtaining proximal and distal control of the artery using vessel loops and vascular clamps, the vessel was temporarily occluded. An arteriotomy was performed and graft material (Gore Acuseal) was anastomosed in an end-to- end manner using non-absorbable sutures. When the anastomosis was completed, blow flow was re-established by removing the vessel loops and clamps.

An inguinal incision was made to expose each of the femoral arteries. Blunt dissection was performed through underlying subcutaneous tissue and musculature. The muscles were retracted and the fascia around the target vessel was dissected from the vessel surface. Side branches of the vessels were ligated using silk suture material and clips. After obtaining proximal and distal control of the artery using vessel loops and vascular clamps, the vessel was temporarily occluded.

Part C. Defect Creation, Patching Procedures, and Outcomes.

Procedure 1: Femoral Placement. The blood flow was stopped across a 3-5 cm portion of the left femoral artery using a clamp and a vessel loop. A 25-gauge needle was used to make 4 punctures of the vessel to simulate the suture line of a vessel repair procedure. The artery was unclamped to ensure that a bleeding defect had been created and to rate the bleed using the Adam's scale. The pulsatile bleed was determined to be severe (Adams' scale rating of 4). The artery was re-clamped to stop blood flow and the area was cleared of standing blood. Test Patch A was cut to approximately 1x1.7 cm. The dry test patch was placed on top of the defect site in such a manner as to cover the defect with the blue side facing the target bleed. Manual pressure was applied on the test patch using a pre-wetted piece of gauze for 30 seconds. Blood flow to the area was then restored by removing both the vessel loop and clamp. After the 30 seconds of manual pressure, the gauze was removed. The patch was assessed for hemostasis and adherence. Flow through the artery was confirmed by checking for a pulse on both sides of the placed patch. It was observed that the site was hemostatic 30 seconds after patch placement and that good adherence to the surrounding tissue was achieved. Approximately 1 hour after placement, the rear leg was “exercised” to simulate movement. The patch remained adhered to the defect and surround tissue during and after this movement. A pulse was found on both sides (distal and proximal) to the placed patch.

Procedure 2: Femoral Placement During Pulsatile Flow. Working at the same site as described in Procedure 1, a 25-gauge needle was used to make one puncture of the vessel proximal to the defect from Procedure 1. The pulsatile puncture bleed was determined to be severe (Adams' scale rating of 4). This puncture was immediately covered with manual pressure until patch placement was imminent. Manual pressure was removed and a dry, approximately 1.5 x 2 cm size patch was immediately placed on top of the active bleed site. Manual pressure was applied to the patch using a pre-wetted piece of gauze for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds of manual pressure, the gauze was removed. The patch was assessed for hemostasis and adherence. Flow through the artery was confirmed by checking for a pulse on both sides of the placed patch. It was observed that the site was hemostatic 30 seconds after patch placement and that good adherence to the surrounding tissue was achieved. Approximately 1 hour after placement, the rear leg was “exercised” to simulate movement. The patch remained adhered to the defect and surround tissue during and after this movement. A pulse was found on both sides (distal and proximal) to the placed patch.

Procedure 3: Femoral Wrap Placement. The blood flow was stopped across a 3-5 cm portion of the right femoral artery using a clamp and a vessel loop. Using a scalpel, a small longitudinal defect along the artery was created. The defect was closed with 2-3 sutures. The bleeding defect was confirmed by removing the proximal clamp and was rated as a severe pulsatile bleed. The clamp was reapplied to stop blood flow and the area was cleared of standing blood. A dry patch was placed under the defect site with the blue side facing up. The patch was then hydrated with saline and wrapped around the defect site to contact the blue side with the target bleed. Manual pressure was held on the patch using a pre-wetted piece of gauze for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds of manual pressure, the gauze was removed. The patch was assessed for hemostasis and adherence. Flow through the artery was confirmed by checking for a pulse on both sides of the placed patch. It was observed that the site was hemostatic 30 seconds after patch placement and that good adherence to the surrounding tissue was achieved. Approximately 15 minutes after placement, the rear leg was “exercised” to simulate movement. The patch remained adhered to the defect and surround tissue during and after this movement. A pulse was found on both sides (distal and proximal) to the placed patch.

Procedure 4: Placement on a Bleeding Suture Line. The animal was administered heparin and this procedure was completed with anticoagulated blood. The right carotid artery was isolated and graft material (Gore Acuseal, ECH060020A) was anastomosed in an end-to end manner. With active blood flow through the artery and graft material, a bleeding area was created by manipulating/removing sutures at the distal anastomosis. The bleeding was assessed using the Adam's scale to be a 3 (moderate). Two pieces (2x2 cm) of Test Patch A were placed along the suture line patch to cover the defect with the blue side facing the target bleed. Manual pressure using a pre-wetted piece of gauze and manual pressure was held for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds of manual pressure, the gauze was removed and the patch was assessed for hemostasis and adherence. After 30 seconds, hemostasis was achieved. The patch adhered to the suture line but adhered only minimally to the graft material. It was observed that the sealing of the suture line worked as well after anticoagulation as prior to anticoagulation.

Procedure 5: Placement on a Graft Defect. This procedure was completed with anticoagulated blood. Working at the same site as described in Procedure 4, a 14-gauge needle was used to puncture the graft material. This puncture was assessed to ensure a steady, moderate flow of blood from the defect (Adams' score of 3). Test Patch A was placed over the graft defect. Manual pressure was applied to the patch using a pre-wetted piece of gauze for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds of manual pressure, the gauze was removed. The patch was assessed for hemostasis and adherence. After 30 seconds, onset of sealing of the target bleed was observed. Adherence of the patch to the graft material was observed to be minimal. The patch was able to be pulled off of the bleeding site with a forceps.

This study showed that placements of Test Patch A successfully sealed defects typically seen in cardiovascular procedures, including pulsatile femoral perforations as well as on end- to-end anastomoses between the carotid artery and graft material. All applications of Test Patch A achieved hemostasis (or sealing) at or before 30 seconds after placement. The patch remained stable and adherent to tissue at the placement site after flexion of the rear limbs. The patch successfully controlled bleeding from a graft material. Additionally, the patch sealing performance remained consistent after the administration of heparin to the animal.

Example 6: Orthopedic and Cardiovascular Defect Study

This example evaluated a hemostatic patch prepared according to Example 1 for hemostasis after various placements in an acute, non-GLP porcine orthopedic and cardiovascular defect model.

Part A. Test Patch. A set of hemostatic patches prepared according to Example 1 using substrate type A ("Test Patch A") were used in this study. All placements were done with the patch dry and pressure applied via a wetted gauze. Both 2x2 cm and 2x4 cm patches were used. The patches were made flexible after placement by applying pressure with a pre-wet gauze.

Part B. Animal Defect Model Initial Preparation. A single male, 27kg, acute (Yorkshire) pig was used in this study. An incision was made in the skin to expose the tibial diaphysis. Blunt dissection was then performed through underlying subcutaneous tissue and musculature. The muscles were retracted and the fascia around the target site was dissected from the bone surface. A dental drill with an approximately 2-3 mm ball tip bit was used to create a target cortical bleeding defect. The defect was irrigated with saline to remove debris and avoid tissue heating during creation.

Then, an incision was made in the skin to expose the femoral condyle. Blunt dissection was then performed through underlying subcutaneous tissue and musculature. The muscles were retracted and the fascia around the target site was dissected from the bone surface. A dental drill with an appropriately 2-3 mm ball tip bit used to create a target cortical bleeding defect. The defect was irrigated with saline to remove debris and avoid tissue heating during creation.

Finally, an inguinal incision was made to expose each of the femoral arteries. Blunt dissection was performed through underlying subcutaneous tissue and musculature. The muscles were retracted and the fascia around the target vessel was dissected from the vessel surface. Side branches of the vessels were ligated using silk suture material and clips. After obtaining proximal and distal control of the artery using vessel loops and vascular clamps, the vessel was temporarily occluded.

All assessments of bleeding were made using the Adams’ scale.

Part C. Defect Creation, Patching Procedures, and Outcomes.

Procedure 1: Tibial Diaphysis Defect. A dental drill and ball drill bit were used to make a defect ~3mm in diameter and ~ 4mm deep in the tibial diaphysis. Bleeding was confirmed and assessed as very slight (Adams' score of 1). The patch was cut into an approximately 1x2 cm piece. The patch was placed in such a manner as to cover the defect with the blue side facing the target bleed. Manual pressure was applied on the patch using a pre- wetted piece of gauze for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds of manual pressure, the gauze was removed. The patch was assessed for hemostasis and adherence. It was observed that the site was sealed 30 seconds after patch placement. As the site was observed over time, there was evidence of continued bleeding under the patch yet the site remained sealed and the patch remained well adhered.

Procedure 2: Tibial Diaphysis Larger Defect. Working at the same site as described in Procedure 1, a dental drill and ball drill bit were used to make a larger defect (~6 mm in diameter and ~ 9mm deep) in the tibial diaphysis. Bleeding was confirmed and assessed as very slight (Adams' score of 1). A 2x2 cm piece of the patch was cut into discs to match the size of the defect by using a 6mm biopsy punch. Two of these discs were placed within the defect using forceps with the blue side of the first patch facing the target bleed at the bottom of the defect. Each ensuing patch was stacked on top of the previous with the blue side against the previous patch. These were placed to address the bleeding from the walls of the created defect. Manual pressure was applied for 30 seconds to the top patch using a pre-wetted piece of gauze. After the 30 seconds of pressure, the gauze was removed. The site was assessed for hemostasis and adherence of the patches. It was observed that hemostasis was achieved at 30 seconds after patch placement. Procedure 3: Femoral Condyle Defect. A dental drill and ball drill bit were used to make a defect ~6mm in diameter and ~ 3mm deep in the femoral condyle. Bleeding was confirmed and assessed as very slight (Adams' score of 1). A 2x2 cm piece of Test Patch A was cut into a disc to match the size of the defect using a 6mm biopsy punch. This disc was placed within the defect using forceps with the blue side of the patch facing the target bleed. Pressure was applied on the patch using a pre-wetted piece of gauze using the plunger from a 1 ml syringe for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds of pressure, the gauze was removed. The site was assessed for hemostasis and adherence of the patches. It was observed that hemostasis was achieved at 30 seconds after patch placement.

Procedure 4: Femoral Condyle Deeper Defect. A dental drill and ball drill bit were used to make a defect ~6mm in diameter and ~ 9mm deep in the femoral condyle. Bleeding was confirmed and assessed as slight (Adams' score of 2). A 2x2 cm piece of Test Patch A was cut into discs using a 6mm biopsy punch. Four of these discs were placed in such a manner as to fit within the defect with the blue side of the first patch facing the target bleed at the bottom of the defect. Each ensuing patch was stacked on top of the previous with the blue side against the previous patch. These were placed to address the bleeding from the walls of the created defect. Pressure was applied on the patch using a pre-wetted piece of gauze using the plunger from a 1 ml syringe for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds of pressure, the gauze was removed. The site was assessed for hemostasis and adherence of the patches. It was observed that hemostasis was achieved at 30 seconds after patch placement.

Procedure 5: Femoral Artery Suture Line Defect. The blood flow was stopped across a 3-5 cm portion of the femoral artery using a clamp and a vessel loop. A 25-gauge needle was used to make two punctures of the vessel to simulate the suture line of a vessel repair procedure. The artery was unclamped to ensure that a bleeding defect has been created and to rate the bleed using the Adams scale. The pulsatile bleeding was assessed as severe (Adams' score of 4). The artery was re-clamped to stop blood flow and the area was cleared of standing blood. A piece of gauze was cut and wet with clean saline. A 2x4 cm patch was placed on top of the wetted gauze with the blue side away from the gauze. The patch/gauze pair was then slid underneath the artery with the blue side of the patch facing the target bleed. The ends of the gauze were held by the user and lifted towards each other until the gauze ends were in contact. Then, pressure was applied to the areas of patch-patch contact ("tails") to result in the central area of the patch being wrapped around the vessel and the tails of the patch being adhered to each other. Care was taken to ensure that the channel formed by the two tails was not directly over the bleeding site. Manual pressure was then applied on the patch through the gauze for 30 seconds. After the 30 seconds of manual pressure, the gauze was removed. Blood flow to the area was then restored by removing both the vessel loop and clamp. Flow through the artery was confirmed by checking for a pulse on both sides of the placed patch. The patch was then assessed for hemostasis and adherence. The tails of the patch were trimmed with Metzenbaum scissors so that an approximately 2-3 mm tail remained along the length of the patched section of the artery. It was observed that the application site was hemostatic at the 30 second mark, good adherence to the artery was achieved, and a pulse was found on both the distal and proximal sides of the patch.

Procedure 6: Contralateral Femoral Artery Defect. The procedure described in Procedure 5 was applied to the contralateral femoral artery. The pulsatile bleeding defect created was assessed as severe (Adams' score of 4). Again, it was observed that the application site was hemostatic at the 30 second mark, good adherence to the artery was achieved, and a pulse was found on both the distal and proximal sides of the patch.

An additional study evaluated Test Patch A in a chronic ovine carotid arteriotomy with patch closure model. After 7 days implantation in the model, Test Patch A resulted in stable vascular repair without any indication of hemorrhage via angiographic assessments.

This study showed that placements of Test Patch A successfully sealed both condyle and diaphysis bone defects with very slight to slight bleeding as well as bilateral pulsatile femoral artery defects with severe bleeding. In each case, hemostasis (or sealing) was achieved at or before 30 seconds after placement of a dry patch. A syringe plunger was successfully used to apply pressure to patches placed in the deeper bone defects. An alternative wrapping-type placement method was successfully used to treat the pulsatile femoral artery perforations.

Example 7: Combined Soft Organ and Orthopedic Defect Study

This example illustrates the use of both soft organ and orthopedic surgical patches in a patient.

Part A. Test Patches and Control Products. Three types of hemostatic patches prepared according to Example 1 using substrate type A ("Test Patch A"), substrate type B ("Test Patch B"), and substrate C ("Test Patch C"), respectively, were used in this study. The control product was a 2 mm thick water-insoluble porcine gelatin sponge (Surgifoam® Absorbable Gelatin Sponge, Johnson and Johnson, product code 1975), to which recombinant thrombin (Baxter, Recothrom®) was added ("Control Patch C"). Both dry and pre-wet placements were tried with each sample. Part B. Animal Defect Model Preparation. In a training laboratory setting, a surgeon was provided with the patches described in Part A. A single acute (Yorkshire) pig was opened along the anterior (ventral) midline and the liver isolated. The animal had the following specifics: weight (48.2kg); sex (M); anticoagulation (ACT: 242). ACT was recorded prior to the first placement. Defects were created in both the left and right medial lobes of the liver and in the spleen. An 8mm biopsy punch was used to penetrate each organ initially to a target depth of approximately 7 mm. Later, a target depth of approximately 2 mm was used. Metzenbaum scissors were then used to remove the plug created by the punch. At this point, bleeding was assessed. A target of >3 per the Spot Grade SBSS was desired. If the target bleeding score was not achieved, the biopsy punch was used to penetrate the organ again until the target score was attained. Bleeding defect were moderate to severe. The defect site bleeding was managed with clean, dry gauze prior to product placement.

Part C. Patch Evaluation Procedures and Results. A clean gauze was wetted using clean, sterile saline. A test patch sample was placed backing down on the wetted gauze such that the blue surface the patch faced away from the gauze. The gauze managing the bleeding was removed from defect site. The patch was immediately placed over the defect site such that the blue side of the patch was in contact with the defect and centered over the defect to the extent possible. With an open hand, firm and even pressure was applied with wet gauze to the backside of the patch and held for 30 seconds. Then, the pressure was carefully reduced and the gauze was carefully removed from the backside surface of the applied patch. If any adherence of the gauze to the patch, a clean surgical instrument was gently applied to the edge of the patch or gentle irrigation was used to dissociate the gauze from the patch while minimizing disturbance. After a 30 second evaluation period, a 30-second bleeding score was recorded based on the Spot Grade SBSS. Then, a pair of forceps was used to gently pick at the edges of the patch to test for adherence. The procedure was repeated for each patch sample. A modified procedure was used for each patch sample in which the patches were placed without pre-wetting with gauze.

Part D. Observations.

Test Patch A resulted in hemostasis with every application. Sealing of the defect was more effective when pressure was applied into the hollow defect and when the patch was prewet rather than applied dry over the hollow core organ defect. Application of a pre- wet patch resulted in no bulging/doming of the patch and no red core of blood forming on the patch over the hollow core defect. Test Patch B provided similar results as Test Patch A and resulted in hemostasis with every application. The application success for Test Patch A and B improved with surgeon experience with the patches as well as the length of time after patch placement. Multiple samples of Test Patch C were tried, but in each case the patch stuck to the gauze during placement. The removal of the gauze caused tearing of the substrate which resulted in re-bleeding. Control Patch C was successfully used to create hemostasis in both the liver and the spleen. However, Control Patch C was poorly adhered to the tissue and there was a concern by the surgeons pertaining to a high risk of dislodgement of the product. Both the test patches and the control patches showed a "dome effect" due to swelling of blood under the patch/product at the defect site. By providing pressure to the applied patch/product the dome effect was generally avoided.

The results showed that Test Patch A and Test Patch B provided good adhesion to the tissue and rapid hemostasis in a relatively easy to use patch. Test Patch C was unable to achieve sustained hemostasis with the process used. Too much porosity in the substrate of Test Patch C is thought to be associated with too much flow of blood from the defect through the active face and into the substrate since the hydrogel can migrate through a highly porous substrate. This study showed that the active face composition used with a suitable substrate contribute to the performance and usability of the patch. Control Patch C failed to achieve good adherence to the tissue.

Example 8: Simulated Cervical Defect Study

This example illustrates the use of a cone shaped mandrel for creating hemostasis in a simulated cervical defect.

Part A. Test Patches. A set of conical shaped hemostatic patches prepared according to the general procedure of Example 1 using substrate type A. The patches were further shaped into cones via a series of manufacturing steps as follows: A patch was cut along a side to about the center of the patch. It was then heated slightly and contoured to a roughly conical shape. The overlapping cut portions were then held together to secure the shape until the PEG had cooled.

Part B. Animal Defect Model Preparation. A single acute (Yorkshire) pig was opened to isolate the abdominal porcine wall. Anticoagulation (ACT) was over 300 prior to the first placement. An 8mm biopsy punch was used to penetrate the abdominal side wall to a target depth of approximately 7 mm. Metzenbaum scissors were then used to remove the plug created by the punch. At this point, bleeding was assessed. A bleed of 3 on the Spot Grade SBSS scale was achieved. The defect site bleeding was managed with clean, dry gauze prior to product placement. Part C. Patch Evaluation Procedures and Results. A test patch sample was placed upon the defect such that the blue surface of the conical patch faced the defect. Holding the handle of the mandrel, the cone shaped portion of the mandrel with the conical patch was pressed into the defect. Gentle but constant pressure was applied to the patch via the mandrel for 30 seconds. Then, the pressure was carefully reduced and the mandrel was carefully removed from the convex (backside) surface of the applied patch. Some adherence of the patch to the mandrel was observed and a clean surgical instrument was used to dissociate the mandrel from the patch while minimizing disturbance. After a 30 second evaluation period, a hemostasis was assessed. A modified procedure was used in a second application in which a piece of wetted gauze was placed between the conical patch and the mandrel prior to pressing the patch into the defect with the mandrel. No adherence of the patch to the mandrel or to the gauze was observed during removal of the mandrel and the gauze from the applied patch. After a 30 second evaluation period, hemostasis was assessed.

Part D. Observations.

Hemostasis and good adherence of the patch to the defect was achieved with both applications at 30 seconds. While the adhesion of the patch to the mandrel in the first application caused a loss of hemostasis upon removal of the mandrel, the modified placement procedure used with the second application resulted in hemostasis being maintained after the mandrel was removed. The results showed that a shaped mandrel could be used to install a preshaped patch at a site that is not easily accessible for direct manual application ("a remote site"). The results also showed that pre-shaped patches and correspondingly shaped mandrels can be advantageously used to aide in alignment, placement, and application of pre-shaped patches into both remote sites and non-remote sites. The shaped mandrels allow for application of more consistent pressure to the entire surface of the pre-shaped patch which is in contact with the defect. The application of consistent pressure promotes rapid hemostasis by reducing the potential for bleeding beneath the patch. Based on the study results, it is expected that a conical shaped patch with a corresponding cone shaped mandrel would be suitable to use to achieve hemostasis of a cervical bleeding defect, such as illustrated in Figs. 12A and 12B.

Example 9: Preparation of Flexible Hemostatic Patch with Compressed Substrate

This example describes a compression process for the preparation of a flexible hemostatic patch. Part A. Substrate Compression Testing.

Two types of substrates were used in this study, as shown in Table 13. Both Substrate E and Substrate F were foamed gelatin/collagen substrates which were obtained from different commercial suppliers. The commercial foamed gelatin substrates were thermally crosslinked in an oven for several hours, according to ranges of time and temperature described above. Substrate samples were approximately 10 cm wide by 20 cm long with a thickness of 7 mm.

TABLE 13

Substrates E and F were subjected to compression using calender rollers. For convenience, the compression was performed using a pasta roller at a setting which corresponds to a distance between the near surfaces of the calender rollers (i.e. a gap) of about 5 mm. Figs. 15A and 15B are SEM images of the surfaces of samples of Substrate E prior to compression and after compression, respectively. Figs. 15C and 15D are SEM images of the surfaces of samples of Substrate F prior to compression and after compression, respectively. Figs. 15A-15D were captured using a 25x magnification with backscattering. Differences between the pore structure of Substrate E and Substrate F prior to compression can be visually seen in Figs. 15A and 15C. While Figs. 15A and 15C both show a range of pore sizes, in general, the large pores in Fig. 15A are larger than the large pores in Fig. 15C. Furthermore, the scaffold of material surrounding the large pores in Substrate E (Fig. 15A) is significantly thinner than the scaffold of material surrounding the pores in Substrate F (Fig. 15C). Referring to Fig. 15B, after compression, the pore structure of Substrate E appears to be collapsed and fractured and generally lacking the thin scaffolding material seen in Fig. 15A. Referring to Fig. 15D, after compression the pore structure of Substrate F appears to be a similar, yet more dense version of the structure of the uncompressed sample (Fig. 15C). Table 14 shows the average porosity area fraction and the average pore diameter for the SEM images of Figs. 15A- 15D as determined using ImageJ image analysis software. The measurement of the average porosity area fraction is semi-quantitative since both the pores at the surface of the image and some of the pores below the surface of the image were captured. The data in Table 14 indicates that the average porosity area fraction is similar for the uncompressed and compressed samples. The results indicate significant differences in the foam/scaffold structure between Substrate E and Substrate F.

TABLE 14

A set of samples of Substrate E were further evaluated for fluid absorption, flexural strength, shear force, compressive force, and conformability, both prior to compression and after compression. For each measurement, the results from ten duplicate samples were recorded as shown in Table 15. Fluid absorption was tested by weighing each of ten uncompressed samples when dry (initial dry weight) and after a 15 second submersion in saline (final weight). The fluid absorption for each sample was calculated as the (final weight - initial dry weight)/initial dry weight 100%. The average fluid absorption for uncompressed Substrate E was recorded as the average of the fluid absorption for the 10 uncompressed samples. Flexural strength was measured according to ASTM D790-17, incorporated herein by reference, by individually subjecting ten dry, uncompressed samples of Substrate E to a 3-point bending test using a Texture Analyzer machine (model TA-XT Plus C) fitted with a 3-point bend apparatus. Each test specimen was approximately 2.5 cm wide by 6.5 cm long. The maximum shear force was measured by loading dry, uncompressed test specimens as a cantilever and applying force. The maximum shear force was recorded as the force at fracture. Each test specimen was approximately 2.5 cm wide by 6.5 cm long, with 1 cm being held by the test grip. The column strength (or maximum compressive force) was measured by individually subjecting ten dry, uncompressed samples of Substrate E to uniaxial compression using a Texture Analyzer machine (model TA-XT Plus C). Each test specimen was a 2.5 cm wide by 7.5 cm long dog bone test sample. The column strength was recorded as the force at fracture. Conformability was tested by wrapping drying samples around a * inch mandrel. A lack of cracking or breaking of the sample during the test was indicated as positive for conformability and the results were recorded as a ratio of the number of positive samples per the 10 samples tested. The average thickness across each sample was measured with calipers.

The above tests were repeated using a set of 10 compressed substrate samples for each test. The results are shown in Table 15. Comparing the average measurements for the uncompressed substrate samples with the average measurements for the compressed substrate samples, shows that there was essentially no change in the fluid absorption (360% versus 356%), however, the mechanical properties of the samples showed changes. The compressed samples had lower average flexural, shear, and column strength, yet all of the compressed samples (10/10) were conformable to a * inch diameter mandrel. Only three of the 10 uncompressed samples were conformable to the same * inch mandrel test. The results show that the compression of the substrate confers flexibility/conformability to the substrate without changing the fluid absorption. Furthermore, the results show that the compressed samples retain a greater percentage of the original compressive and tensile strength, as evidenced by the column strength and flexural strength measurements, as compared to the shear strength (maximum shear force). The shear strength for the compressed sample is about 10% of the shear strength of the uncompressed sample. This result suggests that the compression of Substrate E using calendering causes significant shear-induced fracturing yet is gentle enough to allow the substrate to remain relatively stiff. The results show that compression, especially via calendaring, can imparting flexibility to a crosslinked gelatin substrate through pore structure collapse without a measurable loss of fluid absorptivity and without a substantial loss of stiffness. The results also show that the thickness variability of the compressed substrate samples was lower than the thickness variability of the uncompressed substrate samples.

TABLE 15

Additional fluid absorption data was collected as a function of time for both uncompressed and compressed samples. Fig. 19 shows the average fluid absorption for substrate samples submerged for 15 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes. At 20 hours (not shown on the plot), the average fluid absorption for the uncompressed and the compressed substrate samples was about 1200%. The results show that the substrates initially absorbed fluid rapidly, with the absorption leveling off at about 10 minutes. The average percent fluid absorption of the uncompressed and the compressed substrates at a given measurement time was generally within the measurement error.

Part B. Coated Substrate Processing and Testing.

Coated substrates were prepared by melt coating a dry blend of two hydrogel precursors onto a set of compressed samples of Substrate E. The substrate samples were prepared for coating by drying in an oven under ambient air at a temperature of 35 °C for 18 hours or until the relative humidity of the oven was less than 5%. The thickness of each substrate sample after drying was approximately the same as the thickness before drying. For each coated substrate sample, the first hydrogel precursor was an eight-armed polyethylene glycol-based precursor having a 15,000 Da molecular weight and succinimidyl glutarate (SG) functional end groups (8A15k PEG SG, Jenkemusa). The second hydrogel precursor was an eight-armed polyethylene glycol-based precursor having a 20,000 Da molecular weight and HCl-salted amine functional end groups (8A20k PEG amine-HCl, Jenkemusa). The first and second precursors were measured in powder form and then melt blended in a glove box with a trace amount of FD&C Blue#l in a heated roller system at a temperature greater than 45°C. The melted precursor blend was delivered to a liquid dispensing system (FOM Coater, FOM Technologies). A single coating layer of the melt blend was applied to each substrate sample under in inert gas conditions. The precursor was applied through a heated slot die head positioned at a gap of 4.5 mm above the bottom surface of the approximately 5mm thick substrate. Through this process, coating of the substrate involved injecting the melt blend into the substrate due to the compression of the substrate by the slot die head. The average thickness of the precursor-impregnated region of each substrate (“precursor/substrate network region”) was approximately 0.25mm, generally with at least about 0.05 mm extending above the substrate surface. The mixed precursor-coated substrates were allowed to solidify at room temperature in inert gas conditions. The thickness of each of the resulting coated substrates was measured to be approximately 5.25mm.

One of the coated substrates (Sample 1) was retained as an “uncompressed sample,” while the remaining coated substrate samples (Samples 2-4) were subjected to post-coating compression using calender rollers. SEM images of representative portions of the surfaces of Samples 1-4 are shown in Figs. 16A-D, respectively. For the uncompressed sample (Sample 1), Fig. 16A shows that the coated sample has relatively non-uniform cracks on the surface, which include some relatively large cracks as compared to the post-compression cracks of Figs. 16B-D. (Note that Fig. 16A has a lower magnification than Figs. 16B-D.) The large cracks seen in Fig. 16A are the result of sample handling/shipping and demonstrate the rigidity and brittleness of the solidified precursor after coating if not provided with strain-relief. In spite of the brittleness of the solidified precursor in Fig. 16A (Sample 1), the precursor was observed to adhere well to the substrate. For Samples 2-4, the post-coating compression was performed using a pasta roller at a setting which corresponds to a distance between the near surfaces of the calender rollers (i.e. a gap). One coated sample (Sample 2, Fig. 16B) was compressed at a setting corresponding to a gap of about 5 mm. Another coated sample (Sample 3, Fig. 16C) was compressed at a setting corresponding to a gap of about 2 mm. Another coated sample (Sample 4, Fig. 16D) was subjected to a two-step compression by first compressing at a gap of about 5 mm and then compressing at a gap of about 2 mm. Figs. 16B-D show that compression of the coated substrate introduces surface fracturing, with the direct compression with a gap of 2 mm (Sample 3, Fig. 16C) introducing significant surface fracturing. The SEM image of Sample 4 (Fig. 16D) suggests that two-step compression may provide more consistent fracturing by relieving some strain with the first compression step and introducing additional fractures with the second compression step. The SEM images of Samples 2-4 (Figs. 16B-D) show qualitatively that compressed Samples 2-4 were less brittle than uncompressed Sample 1 (Fig. 16A) since the non-uniform/wide cracks shown in Fig. 16A are absent. All of the samples showed good adherence of the precursor to the substrate, including during handling/shipping.

Figs. 17A and 17B show SEM images of cross-sections of representative portions of Sample 1 and Sample 2. Uncompressed Sample 1 (Fig. 17A) and compressed Sample 2 (Fig. 17B) have underlying substrates that are similar to the uncompressed and the compressed substrates described in Part A. In particular, the underlying substrate of Sample 1 (Fig. 17A) shows relatively large pores surrounded by a thin gelatin scaffold. The underlying substrate of Sample 2 (Fig. 17B) shows a collapsed/fractured pore structure. The precursor/substrate network region (“network”) of Sample 1 was measured as about 200-230 microns thick. The precursor/substrate network region of Sample 2 was measured as about 170-320 microns thick. The wider range of the network thickness for the compressed sample seems to be related to the compression causing the precursor to be more fractured and more integrated into the substrate, and thus resulting in an overall wider range of the network’s cross-sectional footprint. Figs. 17A and 17B also show that the precursor penetrates relatively evenly into and across the substrate surface. The precursor does not penetrate completely through the substrate.

In addition to the above testing, the effect of coating onto a compressed substrate versus an uncompressed substrate was also studied. Figs. 18A and 18B show coated substrates which were prepared as described above, with the exception that the coating was applied to an uncompressed Substrate E. The white regions in Figs. 18A and 18B are regions which were not well-covered with the precursor coating. In contrast, Fig. 18C shows a coated substrate in which the coating was applied to a compressed Substrate E. There are no white regions and the blue coating is evenly distributed, even along the edges up to an excluded boundary at the edges. (Note that the images in Figs. 18A-C were taken through the glass of a glove box and there are some reflections in the images as a result.)

The results of this part of the study show that compressed coated patches display more fractures in the PEG-based network than uncompressed patches. The compressed coated patches also showed more penetration of the precursor into the substrate layer, which suggests that delamination would be reduced (i.e. adhesion of the precursor to the substrate would be improved). Additionally, the results of this study show that pre-coating compression can be used to remove depressions and other inconsistencies in a substrate prior to coating, which can visually-improve the coating consistency.

Part C. Patch Testing.

Four coated substrate samples were prepared using the methods described in Part B. Two of the samples, Patch Samples 1 and 2, were not compressed. Two of the samples, Patch Samples 3 and 4, were compressed using calender rollers having a gap of 5 mm. For all of the patch samples, the precursor was well-adhered to the substrate. There was no evidence of the precursor flaking-off the substrate during handling.

Following these initial observations, each patch sample was cut into 8 mm disc test specimens using an 8 mm biopsy punch and tested for burst pressure. Table 16 shows burst pressure results. Patch Samples 1 and 2 (uncompressed) and Patch Samples 3 and 4 (compressed) had similar average burst pressure results, however, the compressed samples had a lower standard deviation of the burst pressure results. This result suggests that compression can improve the consistency of the patch performance. The improved consistency may be a result of the more collapsed pore structure of the substrate, reduced substrate thickness variability, improved consistency of the precursor/substrate network, increased flexibility/conformability of the hemostatic patch, and/or improved adhesion of the precursor to the substrate.

TABLE 16

The results of this study show that compression of the crosslinked gelatin substrate during coating with a precursor melt blend created a consistent and cohesive precursor/substrate network at the top surface of the substrate. The precursor was adhesive to the substrate and did not flake-off of the substrate during handling/shipping. The results of this study further show that compression can be used to increase flexibility/ conformability and to improve the performance consistency of a hemostatic patch without a measurable change to fluid absorptivity or burst pressure. The results suggest that compressed hemostatic patches alleviate some of the variability related to applying a patch with manual compression to a target surface, which contributes to better adhesion to the target surface and higher burst strength. The results also suggest that the shear forces introduced by applying compression via calendering can contribute to the improvements in flexibility and performance. The results also suggest that a two-step or a multi-step compression process would be advantageous. In particular, the results suggest performing an initial compression of the bare substrate to initiate pore fracturing/collapse and then a second compression after coating to further fracture/collapse the pores of the substrate and also to fracture the coating.

The embodiments above are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Additional embodiments are within the claims. In addition, although the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. To the extent that specific structures, compositions and/or processes are described herein with components, elements, ingredients or other partitions, it is to be understood that the disclosure herein covers the specific embodiments, embodiments comprising the specific components, elements, ingredients, other partitions or combinations thereof as well as embodiments consisting essentially of such specific components, ingredients or other partitions or combinations thereof that can include additional features that do not change the fundamental nature of the subject matter, as suggested in the discussion, unless otherwise specifically indicated. The use of the term "about" herein refers to expected uncertainties in the associated values as would be understood in the particular context by a person of ordinary skill in the art. With respect to sets of ranges presented for any of the parameters herein, these should be interpreted as explicitly also reciting related ranges in which a lower bound from one range is combined with an upper bound from another specific range.