Medical grafting connectors and fasteners

• US 20010010007A1
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Published: 07/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1997
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: St Jude Medical ATG Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St Jude Medical Cardiovascular Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Sullivan, Daniel J., Bachinski, Thomas J., Goldsteen, David S.
• Application Number:
  US09/798,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20010010007A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/153
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/11 for performing anastomosis; Buttons for anastomosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1114 of the digestive tract, e.g. bowels or oesophagus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1107 for blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1132 End-to-end connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1135 End-to-side connections, e.g. T- or Y-connections Y-shaped blood vessel prostheses A61F2002/065
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1139 Side-to-side connections, e.g. shunt or X-connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/06 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/064 with special features to facilitate anastomotic coupling anastomosis of natural blood vessels A61B17/11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/848 having means for fixation to the vessel wall, e.g. barbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/061 provided with means for allowing access to secondary lumens
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30092 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0014 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector

Abstract

A body tissue graft for use in a patient includes a frame structure made of a first elastic material, a covering of a second elastic material on the frame structure, the covering substantially filling openings in the frame structure, and a connector connected to the frame structure. Projections are secured to the connector structure. The projections facilitate attachment of the tubular graft in a patient by securing the graft to the body tissue with which the graft is employed. The connector selectively circumferentially expands and the projections selectively circumferentially expand. This may be done using an inflatable balloon to circumferentially expand the projections. A restraining member may be provided to restrain the projections in a cone shape so that an end of the graft may be used to open an aperture through a side wall of existing body organ tubing and a portion of the projections may enter the aperture.

Claims

1. A connector for use in connecting a tubular body tissue graft to the side wall of a patient'"'"'s tubular body tissue conduit so that the lumen of the graft communicates with the lumen of the conduit through an aperture in the side wall of the conduit to permit body fluid flow between the lumens without leakage of body fluid to the outside of the graft and the conduit adjacent the connector comprising:

an annular structure having first and second axially adjacent substructures, the first substructure being configured to be disposed inside the conduit and being circumferentially enlargeable to engage the inside of the side wall of the conduit at locations that are disposed annularly around the aperture, and the second substructure being configured to engage the inside of the graft at further locations that are also disposed annularly around the aperture.

2. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the second substructure is configured to penetrate the tissue of the graft adjacent the further locations.

3. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the first and second substructures are configured to resiliently press the graft and the conduit into annular contact with one another annularly around the aperture.

4. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the structure comprises:

an annular ring.

5. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the first substructure comprises a plurality of annularly spaced struts.

6. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the second substructure comprises a plurality of annularly spaced prongs.

7. The connector defined in

claim 6

wherein each prong has a free end that is configured to penetrate the tissue of the graft.

8. The connector defined in

claim 7

wherein the free end of each prong is sharply pointed to facilitate penetration of the tissue of the graft by the prong.

9. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the structure comprises an annular ring, and wherein the first and second substructures are attached to the ring at respective locations that are spaced from one another along the ring parallel to an axis about which the ring is annular.

10. The connector defined in

claim 9

wherein the first substructure comprises a plurality of struts spaced annularly around the ring.

11. The connector defined in

claim 10

wherein the struts are resiliently biased to extend radially out from the ring.

12. The connector defined in

claim 11

wherein the struts are configured to elastically deflect substantially parallel to an axis with which the annular structure is substantially coaxial.

13. Apparatus for use with a connector as defined in

claim 12

comprising:

a tubular structure axially reciprocable relative to the connector into and out of a position in which the tubular structure is substantially concentric outside the annular structure and releasably holds the struts substantially parallel to the axis with which the annular structure is substantially coaxial.

14. The connector defined in

claim 9

wherein the second substructure comprises a plurality of prongs spaced annularly around the ring.

15. The connector defined in

claim 14

wherein the prongs are configured to extend radially out from the ring.

16. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the annular structure is at least partly made of nitinol.

17. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the annular structure is at least partly made of stainless steel.

18. The connector defined in

claim 1

wherein the annular structure is produced from a tube by removing portions from the tube.