Venous valve and graft combination

• US 20030171802A1
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aleta Tesar, John G. Wilder
• Original Assignee: Aleta Tesar, John G. Wilder
• Inventors: Wilder, John G., Tesar, Aleta
• Granted Patent: US 6,716,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.24
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2412 with soft flexible valve members, e.g. tissue valves shaped like natural valves check valves with flexible valve members in general F16K15/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2475 Venous valves

Abstract

A synthetic venous valve and graft combination that exerts no radial force at the valve site is disclosed. The trilobed valve (11) is passively actuated by venous blood pressure changes. When open, the aperture for blood flow is approximately that of the original vein. The prosthesis is useful for replacing nonfunctioning venous valves in the human vasculature.

Claims

1. A prosthetic venous valve and graft combination comprising:

a. a short tube within a tube, the short tube secured to the outer tube in a line along the circumference that forms three equivalent and approximately parabolic sections, each section forming a lobe of a trilobal valve, whereby the three lobes lie flush against said outer tube with full lumenal aperture during distally higher pressure and closing the vein lumen to blood reflux at proximally higher pressure, passively actuated by venous blood pressure change and vein wall pulsation, and

b. said short tube and said outer tube both formed of a compliant synthetic material.

2. The prosthetic venous valve and graft combination of claim 1, wherein said short tube and said outer tube both have diameters, D, approximating that of a host vein lumen, the short tube having a length, L, of greater than 0.7 D to 3.0 D, the outer tube having a length of at least 1.0 D.

3. The prosthetic venous valve and graft combination of claim 1, wherein vertices of said three lobes of said valve are positioned distally in a host vein and apices of said three lobes are positioned proximally in the host vein.