The past decade has witnessed a vigorous growth in activities toward the development of a variety of biomedical devices ranging from the simple A-V shunt to the complex artificial heart. Re search and development teams have been created comprising engi neers, material scientists and clinicians and, perhaps for the first time, such groups are collaboratively bringing their respec tive talents to bear on problems associated with defects in the human organism. These collaborations have resulted in a prolifera tion of new information and a rapid and continuing redefinition of the frontiers of progress. It was to keep pace with these changes, and provide an updated view of the state of the art that this meeting was conceived. The present volume marks the publication of the proceedings of the Johnson & Johnson Symposium held in Morristown, New Jersey, on July 11 and 12, 1974. It surveys the applications of polymers to medical and surgical problems and contains discus sions on the biocompatibility of polymers, polymers as biomate rials, and the use of polymers in prosthetic devices and drug re lease systems. In addition, the Symposium offers recent perspec tives on the critical problems of the material-tissue interface, the design criteria for silicone-based systems, and the varied use of polymers in artificial hearts, kidneys, eyes and lungs.

There is much interest in polymers as biomaterials for medical applications. The aim is to develop polymers with tailor made mechanical properties that exhibit good durability and biodegradation properties and can be easily sterilized without alteration in properties. These materials can be implanted in the body to provide a special prosthetic function. They can also be used in surgical, diagnostics and therapeutic applications. Keywords: Biopolymer Materials, Surgery Devices, Diagnostics, Therapeutic Applications, Tissue Engineering, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Guided Tissue Regeneration, Membranes for Dental Applications, Denture Lining Materials, Guided Bone Regeneration.

Polymers and polymer based composites have gained increasingly larger applications in medicine and surgery. Presently, most biomaterials applications rely on industrial substances that were initially developed by industry for non-medical purposes. Moreover, polymers have been often used regardless of their peculiar characteristics which can be viceversa and very attractive for some specific applications. In the past years we have assisted to a significative and faster development of polymer science as well as of medicine and surgery. The assistance of computer aided apparatus, the use of always more advanced instruments, the larger interest of the academic and industrial world, bring continuously new contributions to the research on biomedical and parmaceutical use of polymers. The need of a forum where these specific researchs can be presented and discussed, and the success of the 1st Conference on Polymers in Medicine, held in Porto Cervo in 1982, have encouraged the Editors to plana periodical meeting, focused on polymers and composites, to be held every odd year. This book contains papers selected by an International Scientific Committee among those presented at the 2nd International Conference on Polymers in Medicine, Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications, held in Capri, Italy, 3-7 June, 1985. In addition to contributed papers, several Authors were invited to present the "state of the art" as well as their personal contibution on specific key arguments. The level of all contributions was high, the participation well qualified, and the meeting interesting and hopefully pleasant.

Annotation The review focuses on the use of pharmaceutical polymer for controlled drug delivery applications. Examples of pharmaceutical polymers and the principles of controlled drug delivery are outlined and applications of polymers for controlled drug delivery are described. The field of controlled drug delivery is vast therefore this review aims to provide an overview of the applications of pharmaceutical polymers. The review is accompanied by approximately 250 abstracts taken from papers and books in the Rapra Polymer Library database, to facilitate further reading on this subject.

The book provides an up-to-date overview of the diverse medical applications of advanced polymers. The book opens by presenting important background information on polymer chemistry and physicochemical characterization of polymers. This serves as essential scientific support for the subsequent chapters, each of which is devoted to the applications of polymers in a particular medical specialty. The coverage is broad, encompassing orthopedics, ophthalmology, tissue engineering, surgery, dentistry, oncology, drug delivery, nephrology, wound dressing and healing, and cardiology. The development of polymers that enhance the biocompatibility of blood-contacting medical devices and the incorporation of polymers within biosensors are also addressed. This book is an excellent guide to the recent advances in polymeric biomaterials and bridges the gap between the research literature and standard textbooks on the applications of polymers in medicine.

This chapter focuses on adhesives used in direct physiological contact in dental and medical procedures. Activity in both areas has been quite extensive outside the United States for decades. In contrast, adhesive use in medical devices, patches, and plasters has been ongoing in the United States for a long time. In the case of medical devices, adhesion is concerned with the joining of materials such as plastics, elastomers, textiles, metals, and ceramics, which are examined in other chapters of the present volume and are covered in various references [1–6], The coverage of this chapter is devoted to applications where to adhesives are in direct contact with tissues and other live organs.