CONNECTIVE TISSUE REPAIR

The invention relates to an implantable prosthetic device, a patch, for the repair of connective tissue in an animal or a human. In one embodiment, a biocompatible repair patch (10) for repair of human or animal tissue is disclosed which comprises a tensile load-bearing component in the form of a pre-formed array (13) of a looped configuration in a desired pattern and having at least one return end, said array being formed of an elongate filamentary material (72). The elongate filamentary material comprises a plurality of primary load bearing filamentary elements (74) extending along a length of the material, and a plurality of secondary load bearing filamentary elements (76) disposed transverse to the primary load bearing filamentary elements and spaced apart along the length of the material, the secondary load bearing filamentary elements each having free first (78) and second (80) ends and being interwoven with the primary load bearing filamentary elements at a location (82) between the first and second ends thereof. The patch also comprises a base layer (11) of non-woven fibrous material. The pre-formed array is attached to one surface of the base layer so that the pre-formed array retains its configuration while being handled during surgery. The at least one return end serves to receive a suture or the like to attach the patch to tissue. The fibres of the base layer are entangled with the looped configuration so as to attach the array to the base layer and substantially to maintain the desired pattern, the secondary load bearing filamentary elements of the material forming the array providing an enhanced engagement with the fibres of the base layer when the fibres are entangled with the looped configuration.