Endovascular valve
First Claim
1. A one-way valve positionable within a lumen of a vessel, said one-way valve comprising:
- a flexible tube formed of intermeshed filaments and having an upstream end and a downstream end oppositely disposed;
an upstream radial support attached to said tube at said upstream end, said upstream radial support biasing said tube radially outwardly into an open configuration;
a plurality of flexible leaflets comprising said downstream end, said leaflets having surfaces facing inwardly of said tube and interengagable with each other, said leaflets being movable from a closed position wherein said surfaces are in sealing contact, and an open position wherein said leaflets are separated apart from one another; and
means for flexibly biasing said leaflets toward one another.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A one-way valve suitable for implant in the human vascular system is disclosed. The valve is formed by a tube of braided filaments and has an upstream end supported in an open configuration by a radial support. The valve has a downstream portion formed by a plurality of flexible leaflets resiliently biased into a closed configuration sealing the valve. The leaflets separate under pressure to allow fluid flow downstream but close in response to back pressure to prevent retrograde flow. The leaflets are biased by internal elastic forces within the filaments or by means of a resilient flexible membrane. To prevent collapse of leaflets under relatively high back pressure, elongated support columns are arranged lengthwise along the tube. A second radial support is provided downstream to support the columns. Fasteners are positioned circumferentially around the tube to anchor the valve within the lumen of the vascular vessel.
269 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A one-way valve positionable within a lumen of a vessel, said one-way valve comprising:
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a flexible tube formed of intermeshed filaments and having an upstream end and a downstream end oppositely disposed;
an upstream radial support attached to said tube at said upstream end, said upstream radial support biasing said tube radially outwardly into an open configuration;
a plurality of flexible leaflets comprising said downstream end, said leaflets having surfaces facing inwardly of said tube and interengagable with each other, said leaflets being movable from a closed position wherein said surfaces are in sealing contact, and an open position wherein said leaflets are separated apart from one another; and
means for flexibly biasing said leaflets toward one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21)
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18. A method of making a one-way valve comprising the steps of:
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intermeshing a plurality of filaments to form a flexible tube;
stretching said tube over a mandrel having one end substantially circular in cross section and an opposite end having outwardly facing surfaces converging toward each other;
applying a radial support to said tube on said mandrel;
biasing said tube into a shape substantially conforming to said mandrel; and
removing said tube and said support from said mandrel.
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Specification